From a purely financial perspective, used cars are better than new ones. They’re cheaper to purchase while new cars are very costly and will depreciate in value almost immediately. This means a lot of us always look at the used Car market when purchasing new family vehicles. 

It makes sense, but should you be more cautious of used vehicles? More specifically, do they pose a greater Safety risk than new ones? It's an interesting thought, but is there any truth to it? We've looked at some of the biggest arguments to help give you a concrete answer. 

New cars have the latest safety tech

In all honesty, the only argument in favour of new cars being safer than used ones is the technology factor. The latest vehicles will come equipped with incredible tech that makes them super safe. This includes auto-brake assist to stop collisions, dozens of sensors and cameras around the car and loads of other cool stuff. 

Older vehicles don't have this level of technology. Therefore, you could argue that the chances of collisions are slightly higher. Also, newer vehicles tend to have more airbags, meaning more protection for all passengers - including those in the back.

You can still find fairly new used cars with the same technology

The immediate way to completely throw the previous argument in the bin is to have a look online for a used car. You will find some from last year, the year before or a few years before that. All of these vehicles will have some of the latest car safety tech in them. 

Essentially, you get the same level of safety technology with the added benefit of used car prices. So, if technology is your main worry, you don't have anything to fear. Be savvy when shopping for a car and you will find an older model with enough tech to ensure you and your family are safe. 

The cars themselves often have more to do with safety than technology

Car tech is definitely a great driver of safety, but it's the cars themselves that usually define if a vehicle is safe or not. This is why we have car safety ratings that test vehicles' performances in crash scenarios. The safest cars will provide the highest level of protection for passengers - and this usually has more to do with the car's structure than anything else. 

Bigger cars are normally a lot safer than smaller ones because there's more to them. For instance, you could buy a brand new Tesla with all the latest car tech and it would not be as safe as a restored Landrover. It simply wouldn't be able to compete in crash tests because the Landrover would be more robust and able to absorb impacts more effectively.

In summary, used cars can be just as safe as new ones. You might be better off buying a used car than a new one, depending on the cars you're choosing. The best piece of advice is to purchase a car based on its safety rating - if safety is your biggest concern. This will let you know which vehicles are the safest, regardless of age.