How much damage (at least in repair costs) do you think occurs when a Toyota Corolla hits a Toyota RAV4 at just a few miles per hour?
According to new crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety repairs from such a minor fender-bender can easily total almost $10K.
The problem is the mismatched height of the two cars. The car (the Corolla) is obviously low to the ground while the SUV (the RAV4) is much higher (see photo above).
“SUVs and cars share the road,” says Joe Nolan, the Institute’s chief administrative officer. “The problem is they don’t share the same bumper rules, and consumers end up paying the price.”
According to the IIHS:
“In fender-benders with SUVs, cars often end up with excessive damage to hoods, engine cooling systems, fenders, bumper covers, and safety equipment like lights. SUVs don’t always come out unscathed either, often needing extensive work.
The Institute conducted 10 mph front-into-rear crash tests involving 7 pairs of 2010-11 models, each composed of a small car and small SUV from the same automaker.
“We picked vehicles from the same manufacturer because we think automakers should at the least pay attention to bumper compatibility across their own fleets,” Nolan explains. “The results show that many don’t.”
Check out the video below to see the damage that results when two cars from the same manufacturer collide at just a few mile per hour.
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