New safety ratings released
New used car safety ratings have been published to help Kiwi motorists know which vehicles will provide good protection to occupants and other road users if they’re involved in a crash.
The new ratings also include 2017 crash data for the first time, which has resulted in a number of previously rated vehicles receiving a lower star.
The 2019 ratings assess the relative safety of 389 popular used vehicles, ranging from light cars to large SUVs and commercial utes and vans.
They are based on records from more than 8.3 million vehicles in police-reported road crashes and more than two million injured road users in New Zealand and Australia between 1987 and 2017 being analysed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in Australia.
Of the 300 vehicle models manufactured from 1998 to 2017 included in the ratings, 69 were allocated a five-star rating with 22 of these awarded ‘Safer Pick’ status, which included the requirement for both electronic stability control (ESC) and reversing sensors or a reversing camera, among other criteria.
A further 57 vehicles were given a good four-star rating, while 52 were rated a marginal three stars, 56 were given a poor two-star rating and 66 were given a very poor one-star rating.
AA Motoring Services general manager Stella Stocks, pictured above, says the ratings are a vital guide for anyone in the market for a used vehicle.
“On average, a vehicle given a one-star used car safety rating is around twice as likely to cause death or serious injury to a driver in a crash compared to a five-star rated vehicle."
“It is possible to buy a safe and affordable second-hand vehicle, with some of the ‘safer pick’ five-star vehicles, which provide the best possible injury protection to all road users, available for less than $10,000.
“This can help motorists decide when they can make significant gains in safety by updating to a newer, safer vehicle.”
Light and small car classes, and small SUVs, had the highest proportion of poor and very poor performing vehicles.
The complete list of new used car safety ratings is available here.
