Whether it’s a Honda Odyssey, Audi A3, or Ford Ranger, getting behind the wheel of a vehicle with a five star safety rating is now easier to find thanks to the release of the latest Used Car Safety Ratings.
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In the latest NSW Government car safety tests a 2009 Holden Cruz goes head-on with a 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer at 60kph with devastating results.
NSW Roads Minister and our local member Melinda Pavey said driving a car with a poor rating is not worth the safety risk.
“In one of our tests, the driver of the five-star rated Mazda Ute would have walked away unhurt. The driver of the two-star rated Toyota would probably have received severe head and brain injuries or even been killed,” Mrs Pavey said.
Watch a head-on between a two-star and five-star rated ute
KEY POINTS IN THE GUIDE
- Many of the safest cars you can buy for under $10,000
- A driver of the worst vehicle rated in this list is 10 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than a driver in the safest
- 296 vehicles manufactured from 1996 to 2016 are rated
- Cars with 5 star rating are priced as low as $2,500 (Ford Mondeo – years 2007-15)
- Cars which received a one star rating for safety include the Hyundai Accent (years 00 -06) Holden Cruze (years 02 - 06) and Ford Fiesta WD (years 04 -08)
- Recent data shows 40 per cent of those killed were in cars 15 years or older while 15 per cent were in cars less than 5 years old
Monash University Accident Research Centre, in partnership with the NSW Centre for Road Safety, the NRMA and other members of the Vehicle Safety Research Group, analysed records from more than eight million vehicles involved in road crashes and two million injured road users in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2016 to produce the ratings.
Prices reflect five star rated vehicles listed on Redbook online and reflects the age and condition of the vehicle, and the variant of the model.
Watch what happens to a driver in a vehicle with and without side airbags.
Although the same model was used in these tests, only one car was fitted with side airbags. If you were driving the car with side airbags, your chance of a serious head injury is about one per cent. But without side airbags, this jumps to 98 per cent.
You can download the guide at roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au.
You can find out how your car measures up by visiting the How Safe Is You Car website.