Mercedes-Benz M-Class was named by the prestigious US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as Top Safety Pick 2007 when it comes to safety. The car was tested and achieved outstanding result from the test carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US version of the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests. This rating was done annually by IIHS as a purchasing guide. New car models will be rated according to strict safety criteria. This is the first year IIHS included SUV category and Mercedes-Benz M-Class performed outstandingly in all areas in the luxury SUV category.

The Mercedes Benz scored top marks in the assessment on the level of protection offered against neck injuries in a rear-end shunt. This year IIHS also included the availability of an Electronic Stability Program (ESP), which can reduce the risk of skidding when cornering and keep the car on track in extreme conditions such as black ice or wet road surfaces as safety criteria.

As a safety pioneer, Mercedes-Benz developed ESP in collaboration with Bosch and was the first car manufacturer to introduce it in production vehicles back in 1995. This system has featured as standard in all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars since 1999.

The results of the US safety tests clearly show that the second-generation Mercedes-Benz M-Class also sets high standards when it comes to passive safety. Its outstanding occupant protection results from its self-supporting chassis with high-strength passenger cell and large deformation zones at the front and rear. Adaptive, two-stage front airbags for driver and front passenger, sidebags, windowbags, belt tensioners and belt force limiters are standard features.
An all-new feature in the SUV segment is the anticipatory occupant protection system PRE-SAFE. The system, available as standard on the M-Class, automatically activates in critical handling situations which could result in an accident and prepares the occupants and the vehicle for an impending collision.

As a precaution, PRE-SAFE tightens the driver and front passenger seat belts, moves the electrically adjustable front passenger seat (in conjunction with the memory package) to a safer position and can, depending on the driving situation, also close the side windows and the sliding sunroof.