The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awards the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu with five golden stars for to-notch safety. The mid-size sedan, always an underdog in its segment, has a lot of things going for it, but it is still not what you call popular.

Maybe it’s because the Malibu always felt and looked so dull and boring. But that’s not important right now. It is safety we are talking about here, and in that terms the Malibu really excels. The car comes as standard with an ultra-high-strength steel safety cage, rollover protection and 10 standard airbags including knee airbags for both driver and front passenger.

These safety features are in addition to a whole host of available active safety technologies including Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and a rear vision camera.

The icing for the top of 2014 Chevrolet Malibu safety cake is the OnStar service, standard for the first six months, which lets the Advisors know you’ve had a crash so they send assistance.

So while the Chevy Malibu is not as good-looking and as well-equipped as its Korean and Japanese rival in the market, it is a very well-engineered car and it is one of the safest cars in its segment. It is a car you should at least consider next time you are shopping for a family sedan.