Back in the day, which wasn’t that long ago, you had to pay extra for safety features, things like blind spot monitors and emergency braking. The idea of ‘safest cars on the road’ really applied to things like reinforced steel and airbags. But as the technology advanced, carmakers began to add more of these systems to their offerings.
Driver assist and safety features, it turns out, greatly reduce accidents, injuries and deaths. In fact, General Motors and the University of Michigan studied the statistics and found some stunning results: Reverse automatic braking reduced backup crashes by 85%; rear cross traffic alert reduced incidents by 62%; front pedestrian braking reduced pedestrian crashes by 23% and automatic emergency braking reduced rear-end collisions by 49%.
What Do The Best Driver Assist and Safety Features Include?
There’s safety, and then there are driver assist systems, but we tend to think of them as hand-in-hand: if a feature helps you drive better, you’re safer. Our must-have list of driver assist and safety features include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and emergency braking, but we also love automatic high beam headlights, cross-traffic alert and a surround view monitor.
Read: Super Cruise, Blue Cruise and More: Hands-Free Driving Systems
Which Are the Safest Cars With the Most Safety Features?
Based on the statistics, car makers realize that safety features are a point of competition: More features put their models ahead of their competitors. This means that it’s possible to get a solid suite of safety features on a car at any price. Still, look closely; often, base models don’t have all the features that the next trim up will have. Look at the spec sheet for each trim to understand what features it has.
We looked at the safest cars priced under $30,000 and highlighted the specific trim that with the most stellar selection of safety features (we didn’t look at passive features like air bags and seat belts); some model lineups have lower trims with fewer features. Keep in mind that other models in each brand’s lineup probably have these same features or more, and that most of the models mentioned here are front wheel drive, though AWD may be available, and we noted where it’s a standard feature.
Read: Tips and Tools for Teen Driver Safety
Hyundai Sonata Limited: $27,065;
Hyundai loves to lean in on car safety and driver assist features, and in the 2024 Sonata Limited is a great example of this, with almost every feature the brand offers. Lower trim levels SE and SEL have everything except a blindspot monitor and adaptive cruise control with highway driver assist.
Here’s what the Sonata Limited features: Blindspot collision avoidance, blindspot view monitor, forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, driver attention warning, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, high beam assist, adaptive cruise control, highway drive assist, reverse park distance warning, surround view monitor, BlueLink connected services.
Read: I ‘Bubbled’ for a Week in the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited
Mitsubishi Outlander ES: $28,395
The only 3-row SUV on our list, the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander has a lot of good safety features at the base model level, but upgrading to the Black Edition (2WD) for an additional $5,050 you’ll also get rain sensing wipers, front parking sensors and navigation-connected adaptive cruise control with lane keep assist, lane departure prevention and traffic sign recognition, all of which may be worthwhile to get seating for 7.
Standard safety systems include Mitsubishi Connected remote services, auto high beam headlights, blind spot monitor, driver attention warning, rear emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, rear parking sensors, rear seat alert and trailer stability assist.
Read: The World’s Best-Selling Plug-In Hybrid SUV: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Honda HR-V LX: $25,100
Honda has taken an impressive approach to safety systems, which it calls its Honda Sensing Driver Assist Features, and was one of the first carmakers to add them as standard. For 2025, all but a few features are standard on the base LX model; these are found on the EX-L for an additional $4,100 (as well as a lot of other features like wireless Apple CarPlay): blind spot monitor with cross traffic monitor, parking sensors and low-speed braking.
Here’s what is included in the base model: All wheel drive, collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruse control with low speed follow, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, multi-angle rear view camera, brake assist, vehicle stability control assist, HondaLink connected services and auto high beam headlights.
Read: The 2023 Honda HR-V Delivers on the Promise of a Go-Everywhere Vehicle
Mazda 3 2.5S: $23,950
Mazda’s dedication to helping all its drivers drive better extend from engines and suspension systems designed to be more precise and fun, to being the first non-luxury brand to offer head up display across the lineup.
That dedication lends to the brand’s driver assist and safety systems which include standard blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert, stability control, lane departure warning, auto high beam headlights, rear seat alert, rear cross traffic alert, forward smart braking, adaptive cruise control and Mazda connected services.
Read: Hyundai Elantra vs. Mazda 3 : Economical Compact Sedan Wars
Subaru Forester Base: $29,695
The cornerstone of Subaru is its fantastic all wheel drive system that is standard on every car they build. It’s one of the things that Subaru buyers really love about the brand, but the the innovative approach to safety elicits love too: Subaru’s Eyesight Driver Assist technology uses camera system that aligns images the way human eyes for better vision.
The system includes adaptive cruise control, lane centering, pre-collision braking, lane departure assistance, lane keep assist and automatic emergency steering, in addition not standard features including auto high beam headlights and auto brake assist. There are more features, including Starlink connected services, available on higher trims in the Forester and on higher trims (and still under $30K) on smaller Subaru models like Crosstrek and Impreza.
Read: 2025 Subaru Forester First Drive: This AWD SUV Appeals to My Homey, Outdoorsy Self
Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid: $28,220
Toyota was one of the first to package its safety systems under a single umbrella name, “Toyota Safety Sense,” and to advance the package numbering with each upgrade in the system.
The 2024 Corolla Cross Hybrid (the one we’d pick for more power and better MPG vs the standard Corolla Cross) has standard all wheel drive and features TSS 3.0, the most advanced system, which includes: Pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, proactive driving assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beams headlights, lane keep assist and road sign assist.
Read: 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Reveiw: Cute, Fun and Affordable
Kia Seltos EX: $26,090
We like the Kia Seltos for its nicely powerful engine (195 HP) and an affordable price structure; here, the mid-trim EX offers a lot of standard features that the lower trim levels don’t, which include: blind spot monitor, forward collision avoidance with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross traffic detection and avoidance, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, driver alert warning, rear occupant warning and safe exit warning. However, Kia does not offer adaptive cruise control on any Seltos trim priced under $30,000.
Read: The 2024 Kia Seltos: an All-Rounder with Good Looks to Boot
Chevy Equinox LT: $28,600
Chevrolet has long focused innovations in safety, including introducing OnStar connected services in 1996, and was the first to add rear seat alert and teen driver mode, which are standard across the entire lineup.
For 2025, Chevy increased the standard safety features in the redesigned Equinox, which features rear assist with emergency braking, front pedestrian and bicycle braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, follow distance indicator, automatic high beam assist, intersection auto emergency braking, rear park assist, cross traffic braking, blind zone monitor and steer assist, reverse automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, buckle to drive, rear seatbelt reminder, HD rear camera, rear seat alert and OnStar.
Read: The 2025 Chevy Equinox Dazzles with Looks, Tech and Trim
Buick Encore GX Preferred: $27,295
In tandem with its cousins over at Chevrolet, Buick puts a priority on safety, too. The Encore GX, a compact SUV filled with premium features and, for a small upgrade, luxury details, offers a solid suite of safety and driver assist features.
These include: automatic emergency braking, buckle to drive, follow distance indicator, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, HD rear camera, lane change alert with blind zone alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, rear seat reminder and OnStar connected services. For $1,095 you can add the Tech package which adds adaptive cruise control, an HD surround view camera and rear park assist and still keeps the base price under $30K.
Read: 2024 Buick Encore GX: A Small SUV With A Big New Feature
Nissan Altima SV: $27,170
Nissan is the innovator of many of the safety and driver assist systems on the road today. And, they were among the first to put these systems into packages so you can fully understand how they work together. There are two levels: Nissan Safety Shield is standard on all models and includes automatic high beam headlights, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning. ProPilot Assist, which is a package option on lower trims but standard on others, includes lane departure assist, lane keep assistance, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control (among other luxuries) for $2,390, still keeping the price under $30,000.
Read: Fun, Affordable and a Nirvana in Blue: 2024 Nissan Altima SR Review
You should always be sure that any car you buy—or buy for a new driver or an older driver—has the systems you really want and need. It’s better to err on the side of too many features versus too few; some, like a rear view camera, can be added via an aftermarket upgrade, but most of these features cannot. And looking at the statistics, spending extra on safety systems (and using them!) will pay off in the long run.
