Heavy price to pay for repairing light cars: NRMA

Holden's Korean-built Barina is less likely to be written off after a crash than eight of its closest rivals, according to motor insurer NRMA.

Nine volume-selling cars from the VFACTS light-car segment were tested by the insurer to determine the costs of repairing panel damage, versus the purchase price of the vehicle. It's probably no surprise that the Holden came out on top, with the lowest ratio of repair cost to purchase price — just 14.3 per cent. NRMA arrived at that percentage based on the cost of repairs ($2574) divided by the Barina's list price, $17,990.

The Barina, which is sold in other markets as the Chevy Sonic, is a global design and features a relatively crash-resistant structure designed to withstand the sort of low speed impacts that are a fact of life in North American markets.

“Because of its effective bumper design, Barina did not suffer structural damage and the
damage was isolated to the bumper components,” explained Robert McDonald, Head of Research at NRMA Insurance. “It is possible to have effective bumpers on small cars that protect the more expensive parts like headlights and the radiator.”

"Even travelling at only 10 km/h, we found many of the cars had poor-performing bumper design which resulted in high collision repair costs. Our test shows the importance of insurance, as well as serving as a reminder that your car choice could impact your premium. We determine whether it is economical to repair a car after a collision based on the damage and the percentage of the new purchase price it costs to repair the car."

Mr McDonald, who was quoted in an NRMA press release yesterday, also said that poor bumper design could lead to cars sliding under the bumpers of a car in front, in the event of a nose-to-tail crash — thus inflicting damage to headlights clusters and bonnet. The cost of repairs, according to the test results, ranged from $2574 for the Barina, up to $13,754 for the Jazz, which was only marginally more expensive than the cheaper Yaris, costing $13,440 to repair in the same circumstances.

Of the eight other cars the NRMA also subjected to the low-speed front and rear bumper crash testing, the second best performer was the Nissan Micra (in ST-L trim), on 35.6 per cent. The Nissan was the only vehicle tested that hadn't scored five stars when evaluated by ANCAP for high-speed impacts.

Ford's Fiesta LX placed third on 42.2 per cent and the Suzuki Swift GL achieved a 48.6 per cent rating. Volkswagen's Polo 77TSI (51.4 per cent) was relatively less expensive to repair than the Hyundai i20 Active (53.2 per cent) and the Mazda2 Maxx (58.5 per cent). Hovering around the 70 per cent mark were the Honda Jazz VTi (69.5) and the Toyota Yaris YRS (70.8).

The NRMA test program follows standard criteria set down by the Research Council for Automobile Repairs, a global body dedicated to limiting the costs of repairing cars by influencing automotive design. As such, it's an organisation that is aiming to relieve insurers of added risk by placing the onus on automotive manufacturers to make vehicles cheaper to repair... not actually making the cars safer for their occupants. And the NRMA is asking vehicle buyers to make a choice that will ultimately reduce their premiums, but will inevitably result in added design cost that must be amortised in the purchase price of the new car.

Swings and roundabouts then... pay less for insurance premiums, but more for the purchase price of the car?

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