Everyone has a pet theory about which car brands attract the worst drivers. They’ve always been good for nothing more than cocktail party conversation or complaining to your friends — no one buys a certain vehicle brand and instantly forgets the rules of the road.
But a new study tries to put some data behind the question. The conclusion? Steer clear of Rams, Teslas, and Subarus in traffic.
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Lending Tree used data from its QuoteWizard online insurance comparison tool to “break down which brands have the drivers most responsible for accidents, DUIs, and other incidents.”
Drivers have to put in the make and model of their car and details about their driving record to obtain a quote, so that method gives Lending Tree a lot of data to work with.
Among the findings:
The Worst
“Across 30 car brands analyzed, Ram has the worst drivers,” Lending Tree says. Ram drivers averaged 32.90 “driving incidents” (meaning accidents, DUIs, speeding, and other citations) per 1,000 drivers from Nov. 14, 2022, through Nov. 14, 2023.
Tesla came in second, with 31.13 incidents per 1,000 drivers. Subaru was the only other brand with more than 30, with 30.09.
Tesla drivers led in actual crashes, with 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers. “Ram (22.76) and Subaru (20.90) were the only other brands with more than 20.00 accidents per 1,000 drivers,” Lending Tree says.
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BMW drivers, meanwhile, led in DUI charges — 3.13 per 1,000 drivers. The next-highest brand, poor Ram, had just 1.72.
Ram also did poorly in a state-by-state analysis. Ram drivers had the most traffic incidents in 23 states. Tesla led in 11, the only other brand to reach double digits.
The Best
If you want to stay safe, stick close to drivers of old cars from discontinued brands. Mercury drivers had just 15.82 incidents per 1,000 drivers. “Pontiac (16.24) and Saturn (16.84) followed.”
Drivers are careful not to crash cars from discontinued brands, too. “Pontiac (8.41), Mercury (8.96) and Saturn (9.13) were the only brands with fewer than 10.00 accidents per 1,000 drivers,” study authors note.
Of course, that could also reflect the fact there are few Mercurys, Pontiacs, and Saturns in the data to begin with. Ford shut down the Mercury brand in 2011. GM shuttered Pontiac and Saturn in 2010.
Study Light on Analysis
Lending Tree offers up the data but, probably wisely, makes little attempt to explain it.
We would note, however, that their method limits data to drivers searching for new insurance. That filters out much of the driving public since many of us stick with the same insurance company over a long period of time. Lending Tree might have inadvertently filtered for people who’d just seen their insurance costs increase and were angry enough to seek a quote.
That might also partly mean Teslas are overrepresented in the data. Tesla vehicles are famously expensive to insure and hard to repair. Tesla batteries are a structural part of the car, and unlike electric vehicles from some other manufacturers, they aren’t modular. If you damage one even slightly, repair shops must replace the costly battery entirely.
That has led many insurers to write off even lightly damaged Teslas and raise premiums for the cars, probably sending their owners to online comparison tools looking for cheaper coverage.
As for Ram … we have no theories. And we’re off to search for lightly used Mercurys.
