Prius Sustains Heavy Damage In Low-Speed Crash Tests

According to a report recently released by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, bumpers on the Toyota Prius, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Rabbit perform worst among 20 small cars in low-speed collisions. The Prius, Elantra and Rabbit each sustained more than $4,000 worth of damage in a single test. The IIHS conducted 6-mph full-front and rear tests, and 3-mph corner tests on all vehicles in the class.

Bumpers are supposed to absorb energy in low-speed collisions, protecting internal components and body sheet metal from damage. Depending upon the vehicle design, bumpers on certain vehicles don't always line up with those of other vehicles, slide under the vehicles they collide with or don't have enough space to properly dissipate the energy of a low-speed collision.

According to the test results, the Prius sustained about $4,000 in damage on the rear-end test because its rear bumper is mounted too low to protect the rear body panel, taillights and tailgate. It sustained $1,200 in damage from the right corner test, but a left corner test at the same location will add $1,000 more to the bottom line because the bumper doesn't offer sufficient protection for a coolant tank that costs more than $1,000 to replace. The Prius has other high-cost replacement parts, including taillights which go for $205, compared to just $65 for the taillight on a Ford Focus.

The IIHS commissioned Tech-Cor, the research division of Allstate Insurance, to modify the front bumper of the Prius. WIth modifications that lengthened the reinforcement bar and foam absorber by 10 inches, the damage tally dropped from $1,200 to $254 for the same corner test.

In all, the Prius sustained nearly $9,100 in damages from the four low-speed tests conducted by the IIHS, virtually three times as much as the study's top overall performer, the Ford Focus.

Source: IIHS