Mini Car Repair Costs Found To Be Maxi

NU Online News Service, June 11, 1:14 p.m. EDT

Small, fuel efficient mini and micro-cars have a cost of repair for bumper damage that's big, a report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today.

The IIHS tested seven mini and micro-car's bumpers and determined that none garnered a good rating and only one achieved a rating of acceptable. Five of the seven earned poor ratings and one earned a marginal rating.

The Smart Fortwo, manufactured by Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz), was rated acceptable with weighted average repair cost of $899.

The Chevrolet Aveo was rated marginal with a weighted average repair cost of $1,155.

The Mini Cooper, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio were all rated poor.

The Rio performed the worst with an average repair cost $2,705. Of the seven cars, damage to the front bumper from a front end collision to the Rio was the most expensive to repair at $3,701.

The IIHS said the tests were performed at low speeds between three to six mph to simulate real world accidents and covered full hits to the front and back bumper and corner hits to the bumpers. The cars hit a barrier shaped like a bumper and set 16 to 18 inches from the ground. The tests take the weighted average for repair to determine the rating.

The IIHS said a good rating is given to vehicles with average repair of less than $500. Less than $1,000 in repair is considered acceptable. Less than $1,500 comes in as marginal and more than $1,500 earns a poor rating.

The IIHS said auto manufacturers have the knowledge and technology to build better bumpers and should be putting that experience into building these vehicles.