How safe is the GMC Terrain?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 GMC Terrain died at a rate of 48 per million registered vehicle years, 27% higher than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it riskier than most vehicles for its driver: it ranks 100th of 129 vehicles, safer than 23% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the GMC Terrain sits among all 129 vehicles
GMC Terrain (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 |
|---|---|---|
| GMC Terrain 2WD | 55 | 26–83 |
| GMC Terrain 4WD | 43 | 21–66 |
Vehicles ranked near the GMC Terrain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | Nissan RogueSUV · Small | 41 | 25 |
| 98 | Jeep Compass 4WDSUV · Small | 46 | 24 |
| 99 | Chevrolet Express 2500 cargo 2WDLarge van · Very large | 47 | 23 |
| 100 | GMC TerrainSUV · Small | 48 | 23 |
| 101 | Chrysler Pacifica 2WDWagon / minivan · Very large | 51 | 22 |
| 102 | Toyota Corolla hybrid 2WDCar · Small | 51 | 21 |
| 103 | Subaru WRXCar · Small | 51 | 20 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the GMC Terrain is 42nd. 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 |
| 42 | GMC TerrainSUV · Small | 48 | 23 |
Common questions
Is the GMC Terrain a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the GMC Terrain is riskier than most vehicles for its driver. Its driver death rate of 48 per million registered vehicle years is 27% higher than the average, and it ranks 100th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the GMC Terrain compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 42nd of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD GMC Terrain safer?
The 4WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 55, 4WD: 43). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the GMC Terrain'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.