When buying a new car, do you ever think about how much it might cost you to repair if it's involved in a crash? Some cars will notch up a higher repair bill than others, so it pays to know if the car you have your eye on could cost more than you expect down the track.
Bumper to bumper
The NRMA Insurance Research Centre tested nine top-selling small cars to see how their bumpers fared in a low-speed collision. The goal was to urge car manufacturers to improve bumper bar design to help keep the cost of collision repairs affordable. Lower repair costs could save you hundreds of dollars each year in insurance premiums.
Small doesn't mean affordable
The Holden Barina was by far the cheapest car to repair bumper damage on. After that it was a substantial jump to the Nissan Micra, and a steady climb from there to the most expensive small cars for bumper repairs, the Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris.
What's really eye-opening is the cost of the repair compared with how much it costs to buy the car in the first place. The cost to repair both bumpers on the Toyota Yaris amounted to 70% of its purchase price.
| 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 |
Source: Information provided by the NRMA Insurance Research Centre in November 2012
Testing process
The NRMA Insurance Low-Speed Crash Test Program used a new international standard bumper test (1.2MB) from the Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR). A 'roller coaster' type device simulates a 10km/h collision with another car – the most common type of accident on our roads.
Front and rear bumpers were tested. Even travelling at 10km/h, many of the cars had poor-performing bumper design which resulted in high repair costs.
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 star ANCAP safety ratings.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
