In a recent series of crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 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 $3,000 or $4,000 in repairs after a low-speed collision," said 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 three of the four tests, the bumpers on the Focus protected sheet metal and most other expensive parts from damage."
The ratings were determined after a series of four crash tests — full front and rear into a barrier designed to mimic the front or back bumper on another vehicle at 6 mph, plus front and rear corner impacts at 3 mph. The front bumper of the Focus is tall enough to do well in the full-width test, and repairs would cost an estimated $600, IIHS said. In contrast, damage to the Elantra of nearly $5,000 in the same test is equal to almost one-third of the car’s sales price.
The IIHS said many small cars have poorly designed bumpers, and a few simple changes – such as making bumpers slightly taller and improving the strength of bars underneath bumper covers – would greatly improve bumper performance on small cars. However, the Focus’s bumpers are tall enough to stay engaged with another car’s bumpers during a collision. Conversely, the front bumpers of the Rabbit and Honda Civic underrode the barrier in the front full-width test, resulting in damage to their grilles, hoods, fenders and air-conditioning condensers. The Prius sustained nearly $4,000 damage in the rear full-width test because its bumper is mounted too low to be in position to protect the vehicle’s tailgate, rear body panel and taillights.
"Many consumers are turning to small cars for better fuel economy, but damage in our tests approached luxury car territory,” Nolan noted. “Savings at the pump could be more than offset by a single low-speed collision in one of these so-called economy cars."
Varying costs in parts like bumper covers and taillights can also greatly affect the cost of collision repairs, the IIHS reported. The front covers on the Scions cost less than $500 to replace and refinish, but the Mitsubishi Lancer’s front cover is twice as expensive. A taillight costs $205 to replace on the Prius compared with just $65 on the Focus.
Bumper performance in low-speed crash tests: Vehicle Repair Costs
| Front Full | Front Corner | Rear Full | Rear Corner | Total Cost | |
|
Ford Focus |
$558 | $1329 | $529 | $585 | $3031 |
| Scion xB | $789 | $1028 | $868 | $1012 | $3697 |
| Scion xD | $1135 | $594 | $1499 | $907 | $3697 |
| Mazda 3 | $1117 | $1389 | $1120 | $1233 | $4589 |
| Nissan Sentra | $1451 | $1684 | $1043 | $730 | $4908 |
| Dodge Caliber | $1408 | $1285 | $1966 | $663 | $5322 |
| Subaru Impreza | $2023 | $1705 | $893 | $1072 | $5693 |
| Suzuki SX4 | $3450 | $965 | $779 | $657 | $5851 |
| Saturn Astra | $2774 | $962 | $1550 | $612 | $5898 |
| Nissan Versa | $2795 | $1213 | $1429 | $715 | $6152 |
| Mitsubishi Lancer | $1939 | $1569 | $1642 | $1228 | $6378 |
| Toyota Corolla | $3444 | $1203 | $863 | $1295 | $6805 |
| Chevrolet Cobalt | $3654 | $1169 | $929 | $1101 | $6853 |
| Honda Civic | $4328 | $917 | $883 | $751 | $6879 |
| Chevrolet HHR | $2259 | $1491 | $2227 | $1440 | $7417 |
| Kia Spectra | $3430 | $979 | $2505 | $675 | $7589 |
| Chrysler PT Cruiser | $3642 | $1627 | $2138 | $854 | $8261 |
| Hyundai Elantra | $4954 | $2090 | $1304 | $628 | $8976 |
| Toyota Prius | $2876 | $1208 | $3964 | $1022 | $9070 |
| Volkswagen Rabbit | $4078 | $1841 | $2775 | $817 | $9511 |
Information provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
