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IIHS Low Speed Crash Results: Midsize Inexpensive Cars

Bumpers should protect car bodies from damage in low-speed collisions, the kind that frequently occur in congested urban traffic. But many don't. The Institute conducts four 5 mph crash tests to assess bumper performance: front-into-flat-barrier, rear-into-flat-barrier, front-into-angle-barrier, and rear-into-pole. Vehicles are listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer.

NOTE: Repair costs are as of February 2002. Where two or more models are grouped together on the same line, bumper tests were conducted on the model listed first.

  Front
into
flat
barrier
Rear
into
flat
barrier
Front
into
angle
barrier
Rear
into
pole
All
four
tests

Average
damage
per test

CHEVROLET CAVALIER
PONTIAC SUNFIRE
      
1995 models $486 $235 $785 $765 $2,271 $568
CHEVROLET MALIBU
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS
      
1999 models $716 $397 $642 $671 $2,426 $607
CHRYSLER CIRRUS
DODGE STRATUS
 
1995 models $435 $776 $311 $1,643 $3,165 $791
DODGE STRATUS 
2001 models $303 $189 $682 $1,611 $2,785 $696
DAEWOO LEGANZA      
1999 models $364 $548 $1,252 $987 $3,151 $788
FORD CONTOUR
MERCURY MYSTIQUE
      
1995 models $305 $561 $1,053 $1,286 $3,205 $801
HONDA ACCORD 
1998 models $187 $320 $766 $220 $1,493 $373
1995 models $356 $120 $817 $545 $1,838 $460
HYUNDAI SONATA 
1999 models $353 $315 $1,086 $1,064 $2,818 $705
1996 models $861 $0 $1,410 $1,944 $4,215 $1,054
MAZDA 626      
1999 models $156 $573 $988 $194 $1,911 $478
MITSUBISHI GALANT  
1999 models $209 $512 $839 $267 $1,827 $457
1995 models $893 $274 $836 $1,831 $3,834 $959
NISSAN ALTIMA      
2000 models $450 $19 $427 $814 $1,710 $428
PONTIAC GRAND AM      
1999 models $0 $283 $1,382 $1,020 $2,685 $671
SATURN L SERIES      
2000 models $0 $151 $406 $310 $867 $217
SUBARU LEGACY 
2000 models $397 $96 $730 $351 $1,574 $394
1995 models $367 $386 $836 $816 $2,405 $601
TOYOTA CAMRY      
1997 models $126 $104 $495 $649 $1,374 $344
1995 models $317 $258 $1,037 $1,248 $2,860 $715

Other low-speed results
• Midsize inexpensive cars frontal offset crash tests summary


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©1996-2002, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute
Last modified: 12-Mar-2002