NRMA is educating car buyers to consider repair costs when looking for a new car as these can have an affect on insurance premiums.
The campaign, if successful, is good news for bodyshops if drivers opt for more repairable motors.
A range of top selling small cars cost up to 70 per cent of their new purchase price to repair when involved in a walking-pace speed collision. NRMA Insurance bumper tested the nine top selling small vehicles in Australia.
“We tested the front and rear bumpers of each vehicle by simulating a low speed crash which is the most common type of crash on our roads,” NRMA Insurance Head of Research Robert McDonald said.
“Even travelling at only 10 km/h, we found many of the cars had poor-performing bumper design which resulted in high collision repair costs.
“Our test shows the importance of insurance, as well as serving as a reminder that your car choice could impact your premium. We determine whether it is economical to repair a car after a collision based on the damage and the percentage of the new purchase price it costs to repair the car.”
McDonald said the test revealed a vast difference in repair costs across the range of top selling small vehicles.
“Of the vehicles tested, repair costs for a rear collision range from around $1,200 on one car to more than $7,600 on another.”
When comparing damage for a front and rear collision, the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Jazz were the most expensive to repair. The Yaris cost $13,440 to repair — 70.8 per cent of its new purchase price — and the Jazz cost $13,754 — 69.5 per cent of its new purchase price.
The best performer in the test was the Holden Barina, which had a repair cost for a front and rear collision of $2,574 or 14.3 per cent of its new purchase price.
“Poorly designed bumpers can slide under other bumpers on impact, causing more damage to both vehicles in a collision. Because of its effective bumper design, the Barina did not suffer structural damage and the damage was isolated to the bumper components,” McDonald said.
“It is possible to have effective bumpers on small cars that protect the more expensive parts like headlights and the radiator.”
The NRMA Insurance low speed crash test program was designed to urge car manufacturers to make improvements to bumper bar design to help keep the cost of collision repairs affordable.
The crash apparatus uses a 'roller coaster' type device to simulate a 10 km/h collision which replicates impact with another car, allowing NRMA Insurance to accurately compare the costs of repairs. The tests were completed at the NRMA Insurance Research Centre in Sydney.
|
Small car front and rear bumper collision test results Type of vehicle |
Front and rear bumper repair cost |
Repair cost as percentage of purchase price |
|
Holden Barina (5 door hatch) |
$2,574 |
14.3% |
|
Nissan Micra ST-L (5 door hatch) |
$6,056 |
35.6% |
|
Ford Fiesta LX (5 door hatch) |
$8,850 |
42.2% |
|
Suzuki Swift GL (5 door hatch) |
$8,929 |
48.6% |
|
VW Polo 77TSI Comfortline (5 door hatch) |
$11,037 |
51.4% |
|
Hyundai i20 Active (3 door hatch) |
$9,031 |
53.2% |
|
Mazda2 Maxx (5 door hatch) |
$11,320 |
58.5% |
|
Honda Jazz VTi (5 door hatch) |
$13,754 |
69.5% |
|
Toyota Yaris YRS (5 door hatch) |
$13,440 |
70.8% |