Strong Showing For Used Car Safety In 2014 Ratings Guide

The 2014 Used Car Safety Ratings guide shows just over half (51 percent) of the 227 vehicles listed received an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ rating for driver protection during a collision.

This is the strongest showing for used-car safety in the guide’s history, and was met with approval from VicRoads, the RACV and the Victorian TAC.

A ‘Safe Pick’ rating was awarded to 15 percent of the vehicles considered, meaning they also offered good protection for other road users including motorcyclists and pedestrians.

At the other end of the scale, 33 percent of included vehicles were considered ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ and were not recommended as safe choices for a used car purchase.

The ratings are based on real reports from over seven million collisions in Australia and New Zealand since 1987, and cover 90 percent of popular passenger and light commercial vehicles sold in the two countries since 1982.

"You cannot determine the safety of a car just by looking at it, especially a used car,” RACV’s Michael Case said.

"These ratings provide independent advice on which vehicle models provide better protection in a crash, not only for occupants, but for all road users.”

Buying old (and perhaps cheap) doesn’t necessarily mean buying an unsafe used car, with a range of Saab 900 and 9000 models from as far back as 1990 being awarded 5-star ratings.

The 1995 Volkswagen Transporter and Caravelle also get 5-stars as does the 1995 Nissan Pathfinder, 1997 Volvo V40 and S40 along with the 1997 Toyota Prado.

On the flip side, some modern cars have only managed a 1-star rating in this comparison, including the 2012 Mitsubishi Express, 2012 Suzuki Swift and 2011 Hyundai Getz.

MORE: VicRoads News | TAC News | RACV News

For more information, check out howsafeisyourcar.com.au (website opens in new window)