New study reveals 10 cars most likely to kill you

A new study shows a wide range in driver death rates, and the smallest, cheapest cars proved to be the most risky in a serious accident.

The study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which looked at large-sales volume vehicles from the 2008-2011 model years, found that the four-door versions of Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Hyundai Accent had the highest rates of driver deaths per 1 million registered vehicles. For the Rio, it was 149 deaths per 1 million over the study period, 2009 to 2012.

The vehicles with the highest death rates were among the cheapest, entry-level models, but IIHS spokesman Russ Rader says cost wasn't a big factor.

"The highest death rates are in the smallest, lightest vehicles," he says, once again showing that greater mass makes a difference in the physics of a crash. "It's Packaging 101: If the occupant compartment stays intact, the seat belts and air bags can do their jobs."

There were a couple of exceptions in the top 10: the Chevrolet Camaro sporty car and the Chevrolet Silverado crew cab pickup.

He says all cars make a big improvement in the latest study. He recalls a crash test on a 1997 Dodge Neon, another small car from an earlier era, in which the passenger compartment "just collapses" in a crash test.

The study took into account that some models have disproportionately high rates of young, male drivers — the riskiest group — and tried to compensate.

Here's the list of models with the highest death rates. Numbers represent driver deaths per 1 million over the years studied, from 2009 to 2012:

1. Kia Rio four-door, 149

2. Nissan Versa, 130

3. Hyundai Accent four-door, 120

4. Chevrolet Aveo, 99

5. Hyundai Accent two-door, 86

6. Chevrolet Camaro, 80

7. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew, 79

8. Honda Civic two-door, 76

9. Nissan Versa hatchback, 71

10. Ford Focus, 70