How safe is the Volkswagen Atlas?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 Volkswagen Atlas died at a rate of 6 per million registered vehicle years, 82% lower than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it one of the safest vehicles on the road for its driver: it ranks 7th of 129 vehicles, safer than 95% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the Volkswagen Atlas sits among all 129 vehicles
Volkswagen Atlas (bar is the 95% range)Every other ranked vehicleDashed line: average of 37
The rate is based on plenty of data, so this ranking is reliable.
2WD vs. 4WD
IIHS rates each drivetrain separately. The score above combines them, weighting the version with more data more heavily.
| Version | Deaths* | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Atlas 2WD | 5 | 0–16 |
| Volkswagen Atlas 4WD | 7 | 0–16 |
Vehicles ranked near the Volkswagen Atlas
These are the vehicles just above and below it on the all-class ranking. Notice they aren't all the same type: the ranking compares every vehicle against every other one. Ranks use each rate after adjusting for how much data is behind it, so a rate of 0 from a few vehicles can rank below a slightly higher rate from many. Why.
| Rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Porsche Macan 4WDLuxury SUV · Midsize | 4 | 98 |
| 5 | BMW X5Luxury SUV · Midsize | 5 | 97 |
| 6 | Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 5 | 96 |
| 7 | Volkswagen AtlasSUV · Midsize | 6 | 95 |
| 8 | Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WDPickup · Large | 0 | 95 |
| 9 | Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDSUV · Very large | 6 | 94 |
| 10 | Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class 4WDLuxury SUV · Small | 0 | 93 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the Volkswagen Atlas is 3rd. The safest SUVs are below. See all SUVs.
| SUVs rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Tahoe 4WDSUV · Large | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 5 | 96 |
| 3 | Volkswagen AtlasSUV · Midsize | 6 | 95 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDSUV · Very large | 6 | 94 |
| 5 | Ford Escape hybridSUV · Small | 7 | 91 |
Earlier models
In the earlier IIHS study of 2019–2020 models, the Volkswagen Atlas had a driver death rate of 20 (range 0–52) and ranked 46th of 127. The newer rate is lower.
Common questions
Is the Volkswagen Atlas a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the Volkswagen Atlas is one of the safest vehicles on the road for its driver. Its driver death rate of 6 per million registered vehicle years is 82% lower than the average, and it ranks 7th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the Volkswagen Atlas compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 3rd of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD Volkswagen Atlas safer?
The 2WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 5, 4WD: 7). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the Volkswagen Atlas's crash-test rating?
Crash-test stars only compare vehicles of similar size and weight, so a 5-star small car and a 5-star SUV aren't equally safe. This ranking uses real-world driver death rates, which can be compared across every class.
* Driver deaths per million registered vehicle years. A registered vehicle year is one vehicle registered for one year.