Many factors come into play when buying a new or pre-owned car. One critical factor that you should never compromise on is safety. 

Automakers now invest heavily into developing and perfecting some of the most advanced safety features ever, such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and more. 

Automakers have also worked hard on structural designs that allow their vehicles to absorb a cash’s impact, keeping those inside the cabin safer. Even today's smallest cars can withstand crashes without harming the occupants. 

Let's look at some of the safest cars in Canada for 2025. First, we'll see who determines what cars are the safest and how they determine these safety ratings.

How Vehicle Safety Is Scored in Canada

Canada has specific safety requirements for vehicles sold within its borders, such as lighting, braking, restraint system, and airbag specifications. However, it lacks an independent or national crash testing facility for practical testing. 

Canada directs drivers to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent vehicle-safety testing organization in the U.S. led by car insurance associations, for crashworthiness and safety ratings. 

The IIHS purchases all its test vehicles and puts them through five crash tests: 

• Driver-side moderate overlap front
• Passenger-side moderate overlap front
• Driver-side small overlap front
• Passenger-side small overlap front
• Side

The IIHS also tests a vehicle's ability to avoid or at least mitigate the damages from a forward collision with a pedestrian crossing the street when travelling 12 and 25 mph (19 and 40 km/h) in the daytime and nighttime via its automatic emergency braking system with pedestrian detection. It also performs the same test but with the pedestrian walking with traffic and the vehicle travelling at 25 and 37 mph (40 and 56 km/h).

The IIHS also tests a vehicle’s ability to mitigate or avoid a collision with a stopped vehicle ahead of it at speeds of 31, 37, and 43 mph (50, 60, and 69 km/h). It performs the test with a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, and dry van trailer to simulate multiple driving situations. The IIHS will also perform multiple tests, shifting the motorcycle and car from left to right within the lane. The van always remains centred in the lane. 

Headlight tests are another part of the IIHS testing process, as they test how well a vehicle illuminates the roadway and avoids blinding oncoming traffic. The IIHS performs five tests to determine a headlight rating, including:

• Straightaway
• Gradual left curve (800-foot radius)
• Gradual right curve (800-foot radius)
• Sharp left curve (500-foot radius)
• Sharp right curve (500-foot radius)

The final test is of the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system, which connects modern car seats and booster seats without using the seatbelt. The IIHS’ primary concern is the ease of use, as it notes, "Parents are more likely to install a restraint correctly when the vehicle hardware meets certain criteria. The Institute established its LATCH rating program in 2015 to encourage manufacturers to design LATCH hardware that meets those ease-of-use criteria."

The rating criteria for the LATCH test are:

• Accessibility of lower anchors
• Force needed to attach the lower connectors
• Clearance angle
• Location of the tether anchor
• Confusing hardware

In most tests, the IIHS has four ratings: Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor.

IIHS Top Safety Pick Criteria

The safest cars in Canada will all fall into the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ or Top Safety Pick category. One great thing about the IIHS is it always changes its criteria for these awards, enticing automakers to continue innovating and improving annually. 

In the 2025 model year, the basic criteria to be a Top Safety Pick+ model, the highest ranking from the IIHS, are:

• Good ratings in both small overlap front tests
• Good ratings in both moderate overlap front tests
• Good rating in the side test
• Acceptable or good ratings in the pedestrian front crash prevention test
• Acceptable or good ratings on standard headlights

To receive the second-highest honour, Top Safety Pick, vehicles must meet almost the same requirements. The only change is the required score in the moderate overlap front test is “Acceptable.”

The Safest Cars in Canada

Using the IIHS 2025 crash test data and other safety scores, let's explore the safest cars in Canada in each major segment.

Safest Small Cars in Canada

Small cars offer a lot in maneuverability, fuel efficiency, and value, but their smaller footprint sometimes impacts safety. Fortunately, you can choose from a handful of small cars with great safety ratings.

2025 Honda Civic Hatchback

The Honda Civic is no stranger to this list, and the 2025 Civic Hatchback continues this success as a 2025 Top Safety Pick+. It earns this distinction thanks to its Good ratings in all crash tests, an Acceptable pedestrian front-crash prevention rating, and Good-rated standard LED headlights. 

Because all the equipment qualifying the 2025 Honda Civic for Top Safety Pick status is standard, you can pick up any trim level — other than the Type R — and know it's one of the safest cars in Canada.

Note: The 2025 Civic Sedan is only a Top Safety Pick, as it received only an Acceptable rating in the moderate overlap front test.

2025 Mazda Mazda3

Mazda has made a consistent name for itself as one of the safest cars in Canada, and the 2025 Mazda3 (hatchback and sedan) made our small car list. 

It earned a Top Safety Pick+ designation with Good ratings in all crash tests and Good ratings for its standard automatic emergency braking system in the vehicle-to-pedestrian crash-prevention and -mitigation tests. 

The Mazda3 also passed the headlight testing with Acceptable standard LED projector headlights. Buyers can upgrade to the Good-rated curve-adaptive LED projectors in higher trims.

2025 Acura Integra

The 2025 Acura Integra checks in as a Top Safety Pick, which is no shocker, given it’s based on the Civic Sedan platform. Like the Civic, it received all the marks needed to be a Top Safety Pick+ but fell short with the Acceptable moderate overlap front test.

Safest Midsize Cars in Canada

Midsize cars are great for growing families who don’t want to upgrade to an SUV. They offer additional room inside and in the trunk, plus they have higher price tags that leave more room to add advanced safety features.

2025 Honda Accord

The 2025 Honda Accord is first up on our list with its Top Safety Pick+ ratings from the IIHS. 

This great overall rating is thanks to Good crash test scores across the board, an Acceptable rating in pedestrian collision avoidance tests, and Good standard LED reflector headlights with automatic high-beams.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Hyundai finally cracks our list with its 2025 Ioniq 6, which is also our first electric vehicle on our list. This thrifty four-door boasts a Top Safety Pick+ rating thanks to its Good scores in all crash tests and Good vehicle-to-pedestrian crash-avoidance ratings.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 also received Acceptable ratings for its standard LED projector headlights with high-beam assist.

2025 Toyota Camry

The 2025 Toyota Camry boasts a Top SafetyPick+ thanks to Good ratings in all IIHS crash tests and Good ratings in vehicle-to-pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention.

The 2025 Camry falters slightly in the headlight tests, as its non-curve-adaptive LED projectors received only an Acceptable rating in all trim levels. 

The Safest Midsize Luxury Cars in Canada

You may think luxury cars’ higher price tags would lead to more safety, but much of this money goes toward premium amenities. The top-notch safety gear is often optional or non-existent. However, one midsize luxury model makes our list.

2025 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedan

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the lone midsize luxury vehicle on our list and is a Top Safety Pick+ winner. 

It earned this designation thanks to Good ratings in all crash tests, Good-rated standard LED projector headlights, and Good-rated optional Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function for vehicle-to-pedestrian crash avoidance.

If you opt for the base Active Brake Assist, it received an Acceptable rating for vehicle-to-pedestrian crash avoidance and mitigation, but that still qualifies if for Top Safety Pick+ status.

Safest Large Cars in Canada

No non-luxury large cars earned a Top Safety Pick in 2025. So, we’ll move directly into the large luxury car segment.

Safest Large Luxury Cars

Large and luxurious, these are some of the safest and most comfortable cars on the market. Only one large luxury car earned Top SafetyPick honours in 2025.

2025 Genesis G90

The 2025 Genesis G90 leads all large luxury sedans as the sole representative on our list of the safest vehicles in Canada for 2025. It earned the Top Safety Pick designation with Good crash test scores across the board and good ratings in vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention.

The only blemish on the 90’s record is the Acceptable rating its LED projector headlights received. 

Get Your Next Safe Car at Clutch

At Clutch, Canada's first and largest online automotive retailer, we have a wide selection of some of the safest cars on Canadian roadways, including some of the models listed above. 

Beyond being safe in crashes, we also put all our pre-owned vehicles through a 210-point inspection and reconditioning process to ensure they're ready for the road. Plus, we include a 3-month or 6,000-km warranty if something goes awry. 

On top of this, you can opt for a 10-day, 750-km test-own period. This allows you to test your new Clutch vehicle for 10 days to ensure it's right for you. If you don't love it in the first 10 days, you can return it for a full refund or exchange it for another Clutch vehicle. 

Head to Clutch now and find a safe vehicle that suits your needs from our expansive inventory. We'll handle the paperwork and deliver it to you. We'll even take your trade-in vehicle if you have one.you have one.