Sports utility vehicles, more commonly referred to as SUVs, are essentially a mix of a normal road going and an off-road vehicle. They feature higher ground clearance than road cars and four-wheel drive capabilities giving them durability. Often used as family cars, they are usually sturdy, safe and very practical to help ferry the kids around. A popular vehicle type for the parents with sporting kids they often have a lot of cargo space for equipment.

Here are the worst rated SUVs for safety:

1. Jeep Compass
The 2020 Jeep Compass may be considered one of the top off-road SUVs on the market but it has been found lacking in terms of safety. In crash tests the Compass did receive full marks in side impact but managed just 4 out of 5 stars in front impacts. The big concern comes from its poor rollover rating scoring, just 3 stars out of 5, which is not great. This means it lacks stability and there is a greater danger of rolling the vehicle over. In terms of safety features there are a fair few available but in the most part they are optional extras. Essentially, the car can be packed with safety features but it will cost you more than just the base model.

2. Mitsubishi Outlander
Historically the Outlander is a model that has been plagued with safety issues which have included airbag failure and electrical problems. The most recent issues from 2018 saw engine cut stalls when switching from reverse to drive, engine cutouts from bumping the keys and failures of the cruise control system. The most recent 2020 model seems to have learned from past mistakes and thus far has no major issues. Crash test scores are solid although front impact is only 4 out of 5 stars. It does also have plenty of safety features but time will have to tell if the electric issues have been remedied.

3. Dodge Durango
The Durango has been shown in testing to have some weakness in driver side front impacts scoring just 3 out of 5 stars. Side impact tests are solid which is good but in rollover tests it did not perform as well with only 3 out 5 stars. This model does have a number of safety features but would benefit with the addition of lane departure warning, crash imminent braking and dynamic brake support. It does have forward collision warning as an optional extra but that of course costs more.

4. Jeep Wrangler
The Wrangler has had issues with rollover stability for a few years and it is still falling short in the 2020 model. Just 3 out of 5 stars were awarded in the rollover category indicating there is still some risk of flipping the vehicle. Its list of safety features is very basic including ironically a rollover protection system. Tests would indicate that this system is not particularly effective.

5. Dodge Journey
The Journey scores okay in crash tests and rollovers yet still does not rate highly in safety. The safety features are quite basic on this model and it notably lacks any crash warning systems. The biggest issue with the Journey is that it has been having a lot of reliability issues. This is hardly surprising as it is one of the cheapest in its class. Obviously a car that breaks down frequently is not particularly safe for a number of reasons.