MotorCaliberNHTSA Safety Index

METHOD

How we score

Set the ratings and watch the NHTSA Safety Index recompute with the exact formula we run on every car.

INTERACTIVEThe Safety Index engine

Build a score. Watch the math.

Set the ratings NHTSA publishes for a vehicle. The 0 to 100 Safety Index recomputes with the exact formula we run on all 3,569 cars. It starts on the real 2022 Honda Accord, which scores a 92.

Load an example
01 / Crash protection0 to 70 pts
Frontal×25
Side×25
Rollover×20
02 / Avoidance tech0 to 10 pts
Forward collision warningstd 5 / opt 2.5
Lane departure warningstd 3 / opt 1.5
Electronic stability controlstd 2 / opt 0
03 / Defect record0 to 20 pts
Standard recalls-1 each 4
Do-not-drive / park-outside-4 each 0
Over-the-air software fixes-0.5 each 0

Below: severe complaints only. Complaint volume never moves the score, and every figure is an unverified allegation. Only alleged deaths, fires, crashes, and injuries count, capped at 6 points total.

Alleged deaths-3 each 0
Fire reports-1 each 0
Crash reports-0.5 each 5
Injury reports-0.25 each 6

Safety Index 92 of 100, band Exceptional.

Crash protection70.0/70
Avoidance tech10.0/10
Defect record12.0/20
Safety Indexround( 70.0 + 10.0 + 12.0 )92
Heavyburden

Not crash-tested, so there is no Safety Index. A car like this gets a Safety Record page with a recall and complaint burden band instead of a score. We never invent stars.

MotorCaliber turns three public NHTSA datasets into one number you can act on: the NHTSA Safety Index, a 0 to 100 score of a vehicle's federal crash-test protection plus its confirmed recall and complaint-harm record. It measures crash safety and defect burden. It does not measure reliability, ownership cost, or how long a car lasts, because NHTSA publishes no data on those things.

01The formula

The Index has three parts, computed only from real NHTSA fields:

NHTSA Safety Index = Crash Protection (0 to 70)
                   + Avoidance Tech  (0 to 10)
                   + Defect Record   (0 to 20)

Crash Protection, up to 70 points

From the NCAP star ratings: frontal crash (weighted to 25), side crash (weighted to 25), and rollover resistance (weighted to 20). A car rated on only some of these is scored fairly on the tests it actually took, never penalized for a test NHTSA did not run.

Avoidance Tech, up to 10 points

Credit for crash-avoidance equipment NHTSA records as standard: forward collision warning (up to 5), lane departure warning (up to 3), and electronic stability control (up to 2). Optional equipment earns half credit.

Defect Record, up to 20 points

Every vehicle starts at 20 and loses points for confirmed safety defects. A park-outside or do-not-drive recall costs 4 points. Each other vehicle recall costs 1 point, and a software over-the-air fix costs half a point. Separately, complaint severity (reported crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths) can subtract up to 6 points. Raw complaint volume is never subtracted, because popular, high-selling cars naturally collect more complaints and NHTSA gives no sales figure to correct for that.

02A worked example: 2022 Honda Accord

Crash Protection = frontal 5/5, side 5/5, rollover 5/5      = 70
Avoidance Tech   = FCW standard, LDW standard, ESC standard = 10
Defect Record    = 20 minus 4 recalls (none park-outside)
                   minus complaint harm                     = 12
NHTSA Safety Index                                          = 92  (Exceptional)

03Bands

Exceptional 90 to 100, Strong 80 to 89, Average 70 to 79, Below Average 60 to 69, Weak below 60.

04Vehicles we cannot score

NHTSA only crash-tests a few hundred configurations a year. A car it has not crash-tested gets no Index and no stars. We never invent a rating. Those vehicles still get a Safety Record page built from their real recalls and complaints, with a separate Recall and Complaint Burden band (Clean, Light, Moderate, or Heavy) that is not comparable to a crash-tested Safety Index.

05Honesty rules

  • We say safety, never reliability. Crash tests, recalls, and complaints are what NHTSA measures.
  • Complaint figures are unverified consumer allegations and are labeled as reported or alleged.
  • Star ratings are only compared within the same model year and test protocol.
  • Every figure is point-in-time and re-verified on our refresh cycle. A recall filed in 2026 can attach to a 2022 car.

Methodology version 1.0. Last revised 2026-07-02.