What Makes a Vehicle “Luxury”?

More often than not, what makes a car luxury is the prestige that comes with the name. Brands like Bentley, Mercedes, and Rolls-Royce, just to name a few, are all synonymous with luxury when it comes to cars. Most luxury car brands do live up to their title, as they are often some of the most comfortable cars around and come with features that aren’t often found on non-luxury brands.

In recent decades, many non-luxury car brands have been introducing their own line of luxury cars. These cars are also comparable to the bigger-name luxury car brands, but they are typically more affordable.

What Makes a Vehicle “Safe”?

There are several organizations that determine the safety of a vehicle, but two major ones are the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The IIHS is funded by insurance companies and conducts crash tests on the most popular vehicles each year to determine the amount of impact a vehicle can withstand (crashworthiness) in an accident. The NHTSA is a government organization that tests the safety (rollover safety and side/front crashes) of all vehicles and even issues recalls when necessary.

Safest Luxury Vehicles of 2022

Here are five of the safest luxury vehicles that are also the most affordable.

#5: 2022 Lexus ES 350 ($40,800)

Lexus is the luxury division of the Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota. Although Lexus is another car company that comes to mind when thinking of luxury vehicles, the 2022 Lexus ES 350 is more on the subtle side than the flashy side. However, like its parent company, Lexus has some of the safest vehicles on the market. The 2022 Lexus ES 350 ratings are as follows:

IIHS Crashworthiness: Good
IIHS Crash Avoidance: Advanced to Superior
NHTSA Overall: 5.0 Stars (4.0 stars in rollover and frontal crash)

#4: 2022 Kia Stinger ($36,290)

Many consider Kia to be the luxury division of the South Korean manufacturer, Hyundai, but surprisingly Kia doesn’t market itself as such. Still, you can’t convince many people that Kia cars give off a luxurious vibe. The 2022 Kia Stinger is definitely a luxurious-looking and feeling car, with a sporty touch. The ratings for this car are as follows:

IIHS Crashworthiness: Good
IIHS Crash Avoidance: Advanced to Superior
NHTSA Overall: 5.0 Stars (4.0 stars in frontal crash)

#3: 2022 Acura TLX ($37,700)

Acura is the luxury and sporty division of the Japanese manufacturer, Honda, and is one of the most reliable car brands along with Lexus/Toyota. The 2022 Acura TLX, in particular, is one of the most affordable luxury vehicles, compared to others in its class. The ratings for the TLX are as follows:

IIHS Crashworthiness: Good
IIHS Crash Avoidance: Superior
NHTSA Overall: 5.0 stars across all categories

#2: 2022 Audi A6 ($55,900)

Audi is the luxury division of the German manufacturer, Volkswagen. Though the 2022 Audi A6 is one of the pricer luxury vehicles compared to others in its class, you can find some previous years under $30,000— as Audis are also known for being pretty good cars. However, these safety ratings are for the 2022 Audi A6, but most people will tell you that Audis are well worth the money. The ratings for the A6 series are as follows:

IIHS Crashworthiness: Good
IIHS Crash Avoidance: Good
NHTSA Overall: 5.0 stars (4.0 frontal crash)

#1: 2022 Genesis G80 ($48,250)

Genesis is another luxury division of the Hyundai Motor Company, and is actually considered to be one of the top luxury division car brands. This may be due to the fact that Genesis offers some pretty affordable cars without sacrificing the luxurious features. The 2022 G80, specifically has gained the safety ratings of:

IIHS Crashworthiness: Good
IIHS Crash Avoidance: Superior
NHTSA: 5.0 across all categories

Safety vs. Luxury

Fortunately, drivers don’t have to choose between safety and luxury anymore since the majority of cars on the road today are very safe to drive, compared to previous decades. However, it’s still important to consider the safeness of a car because accidents can happen. While serious and minor injuries may happen as a result of a car accident, the type of car you’re in may protect you better than another type.

It’s good to know that you don’t have to sacrifice safety for luxury when choosing a car. Even the higher-end luxury cars such as Mercedes offer some of the safest vehicles. Just remember to always research a car’s safety ratings, whether it’s luxury or not.

This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.