2018 Cars With the Best Safety Features

Lincoln’s Continental might not be your first thought when it comes to a safe car, but after looking at the standard and available features list, you’ll see why it’s included in this guide. The large car’s body and frame are expertly designed to absorb impacts and there’s plenty of safety tech designed to keep you out of harm’s way altogether.

Standard equipment for the base Continental include airbags all around, belt minder, SOS post-crash alert system, rearview camera, panic brake assist, reverse sensing system, auto-dimming mirrors, park assist, hill start assist, forward sensing system, and engine only traction control. Standard on some upper trim levels or optional equipment includes inflatable safety belts, 360-degree camera, head-up display, blind spot system with rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection and active braking, and lane keeping assist.

If the Lincoln Continental marks the old guard of the luxury sedan market, the Genesis G80 is the spry, new upstart. This is a car that’s priced well below many of its competitors, but it offers a driving experience and features well beyond its price point. The sedan is safe, too, thanks to a solid construction and a longer list of standard features than basically any other car in its class.

The rather long standard equipment list includes brake assist, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, driver attention alert, all-around airbags, rearview camera, smart cruise control, and auto-dimming mirrors. The optional equipment list is pretty short but includes some seriously good features, including park assist, multi-view camera, and head-up display.

The BMW 5-Series may end up looking pretty pricey next to the Genesis, especially if you add options, but we’d have to argue that it’s worth it. This is the best 5-Series in some time, and the car exudes luxury both inside and out. It’s also safe, so if you make a mistake on the Autobahn, it won’t be your last.

The standard equipment list has numerous safety features, including adaptive lights, impact sensor for various vehicle functions, BMW’s Active Protection System, post collision system, all-around airbags, auto-dimming mirrors, rear-view camera, and dynamic cruise control. Optional equipment includes lane departure warning, active blind spot detection, head-up display, active driving assistant plus, parking assistant plus, automatic high beams, surround view camera, night vision with pedestrian detection, and active park distance control.

The Subaru Impreza would be one of our favorite cars if it had a different engine and transmission. It’s underpowered compared to the competition and neither the CVT nor manual gearbox inspire much joy. Aside from that, this car is superb. It’s comfy, looks great, has a good infotainment system, standard all-wheel drive, and is safer than most vehicles on the road.

Standard safety equipment includes brake assist, brake override system, rear-vision camera, all around airbags, rollover sensor. Standard on other trims or optional equipment includes blind spot detection with cross traffic alert, lane change assist, high beam assist, reverse automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure warning, sway warning, and lane keeping assist.

Toyota’s 2018 Camry is the most interesting Camry ever. It’s nice to look at, excellent to drive, safe, and still practical. Toyota did a good job of making the car better without losing what it was already good at. Is it perfect? No, but it’s the closest the Camry has ever been to being perfect, which is a commendable quality. If you’re looking for a good and safe sedan, place it on your list.

The Camry’s list of standard safety features includes Toyota’s Star Safety System, airbags all around, pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, auto high beams, dynamic radar cruise control, hill start assist, and backup camera. Standard equipment on top trim levels and optional equipment include collision sensors, automatic emergency assistance, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent clearance sonar with rear cross traffic braking, and auto-dimming mirrors.