Among 30 car brands sold in the United States, Tesla drivers are the most accident-prone, according to a recent analysis by online lending platform LendingTree. The study showed that Tesla drivers had a higher accident rate than any other brand, with 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers.
Besides Tesla, Ram and Subaru are the only other brands with accident rates above 20 per 1,000 drivers.
LendingTree is an online lending platform founded in 1996 that allows potential borrowers to connect with multiple loan operators to find the best loan terms. Leveraging its extensive data collection capabilities, its researchers analyzed tens of millions of insurance quotes in all 50 U.S. states between November 14, 2022 and November 14, 2023, surveying the 30 brands with the highest quotes to determine which brands had the best or worst driver performance.
The area where Tesla stands out the most is the number of accidents per 1,000 drivers. In this category, Tesla ranks first with 23.54. Ram is second with a 22.76 start and Subaru is third with a 20.90 start. By comparison, Toyota had only 17.18 accidents per 1,000 drivers. Of the brands currently in production, Chrysler has the lowest number of accidents, only half as many as Tesla. Compared with other brands, Tesla's pure electric vehicles are much more likely to be involved in an accident and cause a total loss.
When counting all driving incidents (not just accidents, but also drunk driving, reckless driving, disrespecting other vehicles and pedestrians, etc.), Tesla ranked second with 21.93 incidents per 1,000 drivers, just behind Ram. "A car's collision rate is just one factor that insurance companies use to determine the risk of insuring a particular model," says LendingTree insurance expert and licensed insurance agent Rob Bhatt. "That said, tickets, accidents or DUI records on your driving record will often have a greater impact on your rates than your vehicle's safety record."