| Vehicle repair costs* |
| Vehicle |
Frontal test repair costs |
Repair cost (%) of RRP(Frontal) |
Rear test repair cost |
Repair cost (%) of RRP(Rear) |
Total repair cost |
Repair cost (%) of RRP(Overall) |
Purchase price |
| Holden Barina |
$1,405 |
7.8% |
$1,168 |
6.5% |
$2,574 |
14.3% |
$17,990 |
| Nissan Micra |
$3,311 |
19.5% |
$2,745 |
16.2% |
$6,056 |
35.6% |
$16,990 |
| Ford Fiesta |
$4,784 |
22.8% |
$4,066 |
19.4% |
$8,850 |
42.4% |
$20,990 |
| Suzuki Swift |
$4,198 |
22.8% |
$4,730 |
25.7% |
$8,929 |
48.6% |
$18,390 |
| VW Polo |
$6,658 |
31.0% |
$4,379 |
20.4% |
$11,037 |
51.4% |
$21,490 |
| Hyundai i20 |
$5,750 |
33.8% |
$3,281 |
19.3% |
$9,031 |
53.2% |
$16,990 |
| Mazda Mazda2 |
$6,641 |
34.3% |
$4,679 |
24.2% |
$11,320 |
58.5% |
$19,340 |
| Honda Jazz |
$6,098 |
30.8% |
$7,655 |
38.7% |
$13,754 |
69.5% |
$19,790 |
| Toyota Yaris |
$6,584 |
34.7% |
$6,855 |
36.1% |
$13,440 |
70.8% |
$18,990 |
|
*Information provided by the NRMA Insurance Research Centre
|
Testing process
Front and rear bumpers of each vehicle were tested by simulating a low speed collision which are the most common type of accident on our roads. Even travelling at 10km/h many of the cars tested had poor performing bumper design which resulted in high collision repair costs.
The bumper tests are conducted using a new international standard bumper test from the Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR). The test uses a standardised bumper beam that is 100mm tall with a flexible, energy absorbing cover that replicates a real vehicle bumper system. A backplate which is 200mm tall is fitted to the top surface of the bumper barrier; 25mm behind the front face. This represents the rear structure above the bumper of the vehicle being crashed into.
The crash apparatus uses a 'roller coaster' type device to simulate a 10 km/h collision which replicates impact with another car, allowing accurate comparison of the costs of repairs. The frontal bumper test is conducted with the bumper barrier height set to 455mm from the ground and the rear bumper test to 405mm from the ground. This is to allow for front end dive that occurs during braking.
The NRMA Insurance Low-Speed Crash Test Program is a collision repair cost test and is not an indicator of vehicle safety features. All of these cars, except the Nissan Micra, have been awarded five stars in ANCAP safety rating.
For more information, go to the NRMA Insurance website. You can also take a look at our Car safety and advice section.
NRMA Insurance is a provider of car, motorcycle, home, business, travel, boat, caravan and life insurance in NSW, QLD, ACT & TAS