How safe is your car? Surprise!

You want safe? The 2013 Honda Accord and Honda Civic take the honors for safety among mid-size and small cars according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Each earned the Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) in the annual crash test rating. To earn the top designation, cars had to score “good” in four of the five crash tests performed. The Honda vehicles were the only cars of the respective sizes that earned “good” ratings in all five. But what about other makes and models? Take a look after reading more.

The added good news for Honda is that CarMD also rated their vehicles among the least expensive to own for repairs according to a CBS News article. What may not be apparent to many is that the repair cost survey also said that luxury vehicles cost more to repair due to frequency of repairs.

In the midsize luxury division, Acura TL and the Volvo S60 each earned top marks in all five tests but, surprise, none of the large luxury sedans tested made the top echelon. Among luxury SUVs, only the Volvo XC60 was recognized as a TSP+.

Of the eleven minicars tested,such as the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta and Honda Fit, seven earned strong marks for safety but none achieved the top TSP+ rating. Just one step smaller, the microcars (ScioniQ and Smart ForTwo) were not awarded a safety rating.

Over in “truckland”, no large pickups made the top tier. In fact, the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 1500 and Nissan Titan all rated well below most all vehicles tested. However, the Ford F-150, Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tundra received the seal of safety approval from the IIHS.

Among the small pickups, safety-conscious consumers will want to avoid the Chevy Colorado crew cab and the GMC crew cab.Neither received a “good” rating in any category for 2012. No small pickups received a TSP designation.

In the minivan category, four of six models tested earned the TSP marker.

The good news for us all is that auto designers are making safer cars. When coupled with low repair costs and good gas mileage, the only questions left are price and style – something consumers will have to determine for themselves.