Small cars are making a comeback, and rightly so, but they are also a massive cost liability in low speed collisions. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is reporting that several small cars can rack up some big costs in little accidents. The cars that performed the worst in the low speed crash tests are the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Prius, and the Volkswagen Rabbit. Each of the cars mentioned sustained about $4,000 of damage in the low speed tests. A surprising choice for the best small car in regard to these low speed tests is the Ford Focus.

The IIHS website writes:

“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.”

IIHS goes on to make a number of recommendations regarding bumpers, and mention that Ford does indeed look like it put some thought into theirs. Finally Ford does something right! I guess it’s just ironic that they do a good job at protecting an otherwise crappy car. My best friend has a Focus and the only place it is ever driven to is the shop. It’s good that Ford can protect the outside, now how about the mechanical aspects?

The following is the list of test results:

Tags: Auto Transport // Add Comment »