SUV Rollover Risk: Which Vehicles Roll Over Most and Least

An SUV’s rollover risk is NHTSA’s estimate of the chance it rolls over if it’s in a single-vehicle crash. For recent SUVs that figure typically sits around 16.4%, roughly 1.7 times a typical car’s. This guide uses NHTSA’s ratings for every tested vehicle to show which SUVs, pickups and cars have the lowest and highest rollover risk, how the numbers have changed, and what you can do about it.

How NHTSA measures rollover risk

Rollover is the one part of NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings that isn’t a crash test. NHTSA explains it this way:

“The rollover resistance rating is based on an at-rest laboratory measurement known as the Static Stability Factor (SSF) that determines how ‘top-heavy’ a vehicle is, and the results of a driving maneuver that tests whether a vehicle is vulnerable to tipping up on the road in a severe maneuver.”National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5-Star Safety Ratings

The static stability factor compares half the vehicle’s track width (the distance between the left and right wheels) with the height of its center of gravity. A wider, lower vehicle has a higher factor and is harder to tip. NHTSA turns these measurements into two numbers you’ll see on a vehicle’s rating: a star rating from 1 to 5, and the rollover risk percentage. The percentage is more precise, so use it to compare models. Unlike frontal crash stars, rollover ratings can be compared across all vehicle types and weights.

Ratings apply to the tested version. Two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions of the same SUV can differ, so the tables below name the drive type of the version each figure comes from.

Rollover risk by vehicle type

For vehicles rated for the 2024–2026 model years, using NHTSA’s own body-style labels:

The averages hide a lot. An electric SUV can have a lower rollover risk than many sedans, and a compact off-road SUV can be riskier than most full-size pickups. That is why the model, not the category, is what matters. Our safety ratings guide explains the other crash tests and how the overall star score is built.

SUVs with the lowest rollover risk

These SUVs, from the 2024 model year onward, have the lowest rollover risk in NHTSA’s ratings, one row per model:

Rollover risk is NHTSA’s estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash, for the best tested version of each model. Vehicle type follows NHTSA’s own body-style label. Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Every SUV near the top of this list is electric. A battery pack that can weigh more than a thousand pounds sits under the floor, lowering the center of gravity far below that of a gas SUV of the same height. Among cars, the lowest-risk models are also mostly low-slung electric sedans. Open any model’s report for its full ratings by year; for example, see the Tesla Model Y.

Vehicles with the highest rollover risk

At the other end, the highest rollover risk among recent SUVs and pickups:

Rollover risk is NHTSA’s estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash, for the worst tested version of each model. Vehicle type follows NHTSA’s own body-style label. Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Rollover risk is NHTSA’s estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash, for the worst tested version of each model. Vehicle type follows NHTSA’s own body-style label. Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Two groups dominate: off-road-oriented SUVs built for ground clearance, such as the Wrangler, Bronco and 4Runner, and large body-on-frame SUVs such as the Expedition, Armada and Wagoneer, plus midsize pickups. That doesn’t make them unsafe to own. It means rollover is the crash type to take most seriously, and the driving habits below matter more. Short-wheelbase off-road SUVs must carry a federal rollover warning label on the driver’s sun visor (49 CFR 575.105), the yellow-and-white label many Jeep and other compact-SUV owners will recognize. See the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Ranger reports for ratings, recalls and complaints by year.

Is rollover risk getting better?

Slowly. The typical SUV’s rollover risk has edged down since the 2011 model year as designs got wider and lower, and the gap between SUVs and cars has narrowed a little:

Median of all rated versions each model year; vehicle type follows NHTSA’s body-style label. Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

The bigger change happened on the road rather than in the rating. Electronic stability control (ESC) brakes individual wheels to stop a skid before it turns into a slide and a rollover. The federal standard that requires it states its purpose plainly: to reduce deaths and injuries in crashes where the driver loses control, “including those resulting in vehicle rollover.” ESC has been required on every new passenger car, SUV, pickup and van under 10,000 lb built on or after September 1, 2011 (49 CFR 571.126). Research on single-vehicle crashes found that rollover rates in newer SUVs fell with both wider ESC availability and higher stability factors (Kallan, 2008).

Why some vehicles roll over more

• Height and width. A higher center of gravity relative to track width is the main factor, which is exactly what the stability factor measures.
• Load. Roof racks, roof-top tents and heavy cargo up high raise the center of gravity beyond what NHTSA tested. Check your owner’s manual for roof load limits.
• Tires. Under-inflated or worn tires reduce grip and can lead to a skid; a blowout can start a loss of control.
• Trips. Many rollovers start when a vehicle slides sideways and its tires dig into soft soil, hit a curb or drop off a road edge, so leaving the road at speed is a major risk.
• Lift kits and big tires. Raising a vehicle changes its geometry; its rollover rating no longer applies.

How to reduce your rollover risk

1. Wear your seat belt. In a rollover, the belt keeps you inside the vehicle, where you are far more likely to survive.
2. Slow down for curves, ramps and rural roads. Overcorrecting after a wheel drops off the pavement is a classic rollover trigger: ease back on gently.
3. Keep tires at the pressure on the door-jamb label and replace worn tires. NHTSA’s tire guidance includes the penny test for tread depth.
4. Load heavy items low and inside, and respect roof-load limits.
5. When buying, compare the rollover percentage, not just the stars, and check the model year. Our used car inspection checklist covers the rest.

Rollover risk is NHTSA’s estimate for a single-vehicle crash, not a prediction for any particular driver. Data: NHTSA NCAP ratings file, retrieved as shown under each table.