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