All set to bring home your dream car? Have you done enough research before even considering the car model? No? Think again! For all the road trip enthusiasts who fancy a luxury car to realize the long-pending dream trips, this article will give an extra dose of information that should be considered before stepping out for car shopping.

Choosing a luxury car is not a child's play. Usually in a car, we look for comfort, appearance and prestige and just put 'airbags' and 'brake system' under safety requirement. However, it takes more than airbags and brake system to make a car safe. Though some of them are labeled as safer than others, which can become your ultimate travel buddy and here we are going to talk about them.

Qualification Criteria

First things first, what makes a car safe? How do we compare two cars on this criterion? The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) in America that determines and rates every new car's crashworthiness and frontal crash prevention systems does this highly critical job. Based on the performance of the cars, it releases the list of the BEST safest luxury cars in the world.

To qualify IIHS Top Safety Pick, apart from scoring good in side, head-on and rollover tests the vehicles must achieve good ratings in the small overlap front crash test by IIHS. There are two aspects of safety: crashworthiness – how well a vehicle protects its passengers in a crash – and crash avoidance and mitigation – a technology that can prevent a collision or mitigate its gravity.

Audi A6

Performance-oriented on both city and country roads, well mannered with excellent driving dynamics, Audi A6 is the 'go-to' car for the drivers who yearn for throughout coddling from exquisitely crafted luxury to responsive handling dynamics. It comes with the modified front end and passenger compartment to provide greater occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes. Features like rearview camera, a 360-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, a head-up display, night vision assist, adaptive cruise control, active lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and collision warning with automatic braking made A6 IIHS's favorite and garnered "Good" rating (the IIHS's highest ranking from among Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor) in crashworthiness tests.

Hyundai Genesis

Car that boasts a full suite of active-safety features with 5 stars from the feds and Top Safety Pick+ status from the IIHS, Hyundai Genesis is our personal favorite. In addition to the standard safety features and nine standard airbags (including driver's knee bag introduced in the 2015 model), Genesis comes with remote door unlocking, automatic crash notification, remote start, on-demand roadside assistance, stolen vehicle slowdown/immobilization, geo-fencing and recovery. An automatic emergency braking system to rule out collisions at low speed or lessen their austerity, ladders up this comfort-oriented genius to take a dig at the Big Boys.

Infiniti Q70

Striking, voluptuous with a sharp look, Infiniti Q70's great design and intuitiveness is truly original, setting this machine apart from its competitors. This new and improved avatar of M sedan (earlier name of Infiniti Q70), has earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and 'superior' in-front crash prevention safety option. It possesses all the advance safety features to make your country ride safe and sound. The 2015 Infiniti Q70 gets more accident-avoidance technology and Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Around View Monitor (for 360 views around the car when parking), Backup Collision Intervention to prevent backup accidents, and Forward Emergency Braking to lessen the risk of frontal collisions.

Mercedes-Benz E class

There's great news, your most dependable car also comes under the safest cars category in the world. What else could you ask for? Well, we won't be talking about its opulence, as that would be an insult to this class apart. So, let's focus on its safety features. After revamping E class, this classy machine got strengthened with highly improved safety features and received highest ranking of "GOOD" in the IIHS crash tests. With adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking, driver drowsiness alert, lane keep assist, stability control and rear collision occupant protection for bringing the car to complete halt to prevent secondary collision, Mercedes-Benz E class is a stellar buy.

Acura RLX

A polite, well-composed and not so crazy premium sedan, Acura's flagship model would be a subtle addition to your collection. It's not for those, who are looking for a screaming arrival. However, if 'safety' is what you expect on the highways then this could be your 'safe' bet. Apart from an impressive performer, Acura is packed with the features like blind spot monitors, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, proximity sensors and adaptive cruise control. After a redesign of the 2014 RL, RLX has been launched with safety enhancements like an "advanced" front crash prevention feature and thus received the IIHS' highest rating in crash tests.

Volvo S80

Are we really talking about cars here? Because what comes next is the garrison of safety features that is incomparable. This not-so-thrilling looking Swedish sedan is durable, assuring a safe and comforting atmosphere to its driver. Known for its 'no-drama' driving experience, Volvo S80 received an impressive crash test scores, which makes it a 'safety superstar'. It is laced with some incredible passive and active safety equipment like front-seat side airbags with separate chambers to protect chest and hip, four antilock disc brakes and a set of side curtain airbags, including a collision/pedestrian avoidance system that can completely halt the car if an inevitable smash is expected. This quiet ride could belong to the people who want a 'no-frenzy' car.

P.S. These are the top listed safest cars in the world. Apart from these, cars like Acura TLX, BMW 2 Series, Lincoln MKZ, etc. are also approved by IIHS and considered as safe cars. However, it doesn't mean that other luxury cars like Mercedes S Class, Rolls Royce Phantom or Bentley aren't safe. Not all manufacturers subject their cars to the IIHS testing, so it's always better to do a thorough research before zeroing in on any car. After all, safety should always come FIRST!