The Honda Accord has become the first vehicle to achieve a perfect score under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) tougher new rating system.

The NHTSA instituted a stricter rating scheme this year after many vehicles were awarded five stars under the old system. In addition to new tests and higher standards, the redesigned scores also give an overall rating, which the government body says allows shoppers to easily compare multiple cars for sale.

The new system saw perennial five-star cars knocked down a few pegs. The Toyota Camry, for example, was rerated as a three-star vehicle. The redesigned Hyundai Sonata was the first to achieve an overall score of five stars, but a four-star rating in the frontal crash test kept it from a perfect score.

Now Honda has the bragging rights that come with the perfect safety rating, scoring five stars in the frontal, side and rollover collision tests. The NHTSA is still working its way through the 2011 model year, with plans to rate 55 models by the year's end.

Drivers searching for used cars will likely be looking at vehicles rated under the old system, which had a higher percentage of cars achieving five-star safety ratings.