Safest 2026 compact cars by NHTSA recall record
Highest Safety Signal among 41 compact car model-years, ties broken by fewest owner complaints.
| # | Vehicle | Safety | Recalls | Complaints | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026 BMW 3 Series | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 2 | 2026 Porsche Taycan | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 3 | 2026 Aston Martin DB12 S | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 4 | 2026 Aston Martin DB12 V8 | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 5 | 2026 Audi A3 | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 6 | 2026 Audi S3 | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 7 | 2026 BMW M | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 8 | 2026 Ferrari Purosangue | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 9 | 2026 Ferrari Roma | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 10 | 2026 Fiat 500e | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 11 | 2026 Honda Prelude | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 12 | 2026 Lexus IS | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 13 | 2026 Lexus LC | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 14 | 2026 Lexus UX | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
| 15 | 2026 MINI John Cooper Works | A | 0 | 0 | 100 / 100 |
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.