Used car safety, rank #168 of 181
Chevrolet Sonic Safety Rating (2017-20)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2017-20 Chevrolet Sonic, a small car, compared with its class and with the current model.
The 2017-20 Chevrolet Sonic has an IIHS driver death rate of 107 per million registered vehicle years against a small cars average of 60.5, which is 77% above the class average. That places it #168 of 181 used vehicles with a safety score of 9.7/100.
What the Chevrolet Sonic death rate means
At 107 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Chevrolet Sonic is 77% worse than the small cars average of 60.5. The 95% confidence interval is 50 to 164, which overlaps the class average, so some of the gap may be chance.
The other-driver death rate of 82 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Chevrolet Sonic. It is no higher than the Chevrolet Sonic's own driver death rate. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used cars
The safest small cars in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Chevrolet Sonic highlighted. It ranks 9 of the 9 shown; the class leader is the Chevrolet Bolt at a death rate of 8.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Bolt | 2017-20 | 8 (0 to 19) | 65.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Prius Prime | 2017-20 | 23 (0 to 45) | 52.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru WRX | 2017-20 | 38 (19 to 58) | 34.2 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Prius | 2017-20 | 45 (23 to 67) | 29.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru Impreza sedan | 2017-20 | 46 (18 to 74) | 28.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Honda Civic | 2019-20 | 49 (29 to 69) | 26.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Corolla | 2020 | 58 (31 to 86) | 19.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Honda Civic hatchback | 2019-20 | 78 (26 to 130) | 13.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Chevrolet Sonic (this page) | 2017-20 | 107 (50 to 164) | 9.7 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for small cars: 60.5 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
Safety recalls for the Chevrolet Sonic
No recalls on record for the 2020 model year.
Chevrolet Sonic: Common Questions
Is the Chevrolet Sonic a safe car?
Not on this measure: its drivers died at a higher rate than its class average. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 107 per million registered vehicle years for the 2017-20 Chevrolet Sonic, 77% above the class average (60.5 for small cars). That earns a used-car safety score of 9.7 out of 100 and rank #168 of 181 used vehicles.
What is the Chevrolet Sonic driver death rate?
107 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 50 to 164. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Chevrolet Sonic died at a rate of 82 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2017-20 models.
How does the Chevrolet Sonic compare with other small cars?
The small cars class averages 60.5 driver deaths per million; the Chevrolet Sonic sits at 107. Among the 9 small cars compared above it ranks 9 by safety score; the top of that group is the Chevrolet Bolt with a death rate of 8.