How safe is the Ford Escape?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 Ford Escape died at a rate of 55 per million registered vehicle years, 46% higher than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it one of the riskiest vehicles on the road for its driver: it ranks 107th of 129 vehicles, safer than 17% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the Ford Escape sits among all 129 vehicles
Ford Escape (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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape 2WD | 70 | 46–94 |
| Ford Escape 4WD | 47 | 30–64 |
Vehicles ranked near the Ford Escape
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | Toyota Camry hybridCar · Midsize | 51 | 20 |
| 105 | Toyota CamryCar · Midsize | 50 | 19 |
| 106 | Chevrolet EquinoxSUV · Small | 52 | 18 |
| 107 | Ford EscapeSUV · Small | 55 | 17 |
| 108 | Ram 1500 Classic crew cab short bed 4WDPickup · Large | 61 | 16 |
| 109 | Honda CivicCar · Small | 58 | 16 |
| 110 | Hyundai KonaSUV · Small | 62 | 15 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the Ford Escape is 44th. 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 |
| 44 | Ford EscapeSUV · Small | 55 | 17 |
Common questions
Is the Ford Escape a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the Ford Escape is one of the riskiest vehicles on the road for its driver. Its driver death rate of 55 per million registered vehicle years is 46% higher than the average, and it ranks 107th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the Ford Escape compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 44th of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD Ford Escape safer?
The 4WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 70, 4WD: 47). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the Ford Escape'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.