If you're concerned with used cars safety ratings (and you should be), you should be aware of the different organizations that produce safety ratings for both new and used cars. In addition, you should understand how these types safety ratings are determined and established. Therefore, this article will address some of the better known safety ratings and what they mean.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or the NHTSA, is a government organization and is a part of the United States Department of Transportation. The NHTSA is responsible for creating guidelines and rules related to traffic safety and traffic enforcement. Furthermore, NHTSA also evaluates new cars and used cars to determine their safety ratings. 

NHTSA utilizes crash testing and rollover ratings to help describe how a certain vehicle survives the impact of an accident. NHTSA rates vehicles with a star rating system with 1 star being the lowest and 5 stars being the highest. 5-star rated vehicles are considered to be the safest vehicles on the road, and the usually offer much better protection in the event of a crash or accident.

In addition, NHTSA works with car manufacturers to develop guidelines for recalls and make sure they are implemented in the event that a recall is required.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, or the IIFHS, is an independent, nonprofit organization that was developed to help reduce the number of deaths, injuries and property damage from crashes and accidents on American highways.

The IIFHS also performs crash testing on almost every make and model new car that is manufactured. The IIFHS rating system is a little different from that of the NHTSA in that the area IIFHS system uses letters to depict the ratings of safety ratings for frontal offset crashes, side impact crashes, restraint and rear end crash protection and also rollover ratings. The IIFHS system uses the letter “G” for good, the letter “A” for acceptable, the letter “M” for marginal and the letter “P” for poor. The safety rating system implemented and used by the IIFHS is one of the most thorough rating systems available today and is widely regarded by insurance companies, government agencies and consumers alike.

Other Vehicle Reliability Considerations

While they are not directly related to the safety rating or fitness of particular vehicles, organizations like J.D. Powers & Associates and Consumer Reports also provide a lot of valuable information about the reliability and performance of used cars. J.D. Powers & Associates publishes performance reviews on almost every type of car or truck manufactured, and gives you important information regarding the likelihood of a particular car or truck to leave you stranded on the side of the road. Unreliable cars are also unsafe and create hazards on streets and highways.

Also, Consumer Reports offers a wealth of information on the reliability and build quality of most popular used cars and trucks. In fact, Consumer Reports even publishes list for the best and worst vehicles in any class or group of vehicles.