IIHS releases small car bumper crash test results

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Excerpted from the IIHS news release at http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr090408.html

News Release | September 4, 2008

Most small cars aren't economical for crash repairs:
Ford Focus performs the best; Rabbit
& Prius are the worst in bumper tests




ARLINGTON, VA — Low-speed collisions happen every day in commuter traffic and parking lots. These "fender benders" end up costing car owners a lot of money and aggravation because the bumpers on many cars aren't designed to handle what should be a no-damage event.

In a series of crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently assessed how well the bumpers of 20 small car models would protect the vehicles from damage in low-speed collisions. The worst performers are the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Prius, and Volkswagen Rabbit, each sustaining about $4,000 damage or more in a single test. The Ford Focus performed the best, with about one-third that amount of damage in its worst test.

"Small cars are supposed to be economical, but there's nothing economical about three or four thousand dollars in repairs after a low-speed collision," says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. "Ford did the best job of putting bumpers on a small car that largely do what they're supposed to do. In 3 of the 4 tests, the bumpers on the Focus protected sheet metal and most other expensive parts from damage."

You may click on the above link to view the full news release, including the chart of bumper test results for all of the small cars that were tested.
 
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