These are Australia’s 16 safest used cars

The Monash University Accident Research Center (MUARC) has released its 2024 used car safety ratings, and while it may not come as a surprise, it turns out that affordable used cars have become much safer over the past two decades.

MUARC analyzed 9.4 million vehicles and 2.6 million injured road users involved in police-reported crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2022.

The data shows that vehicle safety has improved significantly during this period, with drivers on average 2022 models having a 36% lower risk of death or serious injury compared to models produced in 2002.

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A total of 534 models received an overall safety rating, which reflects their overall performance in driver safety, other road user safety and collision avoidance.

The worst-performing vehicles receive a one-star rating and the best-performing vehicles receive a five-star rating, confirming that they are top vehicles in terms of relative safety performance.

A total of 110 models received the top five-star rating this year, with 54 models earning a “Safer Choice” designation after receiving a five-star rating for overall safety and driver safety as well as a four- or five-star rating for other roads. User safety and collision avoidance.

But only 16 of these Safer Pick models received five stars in each category, and they are:

MUARC says that’s good news for buyers on a budget, with nearly all of its Safe Choice models available for under $25,000 used, with more than half priced under $10,000.

All “Safer Pick” models were released in 2004 or later, with 91% produced after 2008, reflecting the advantages of new vehicles in terms of safety technology, design quality and compliance with the latest regulations.

For example, electronic stability control systems have been widely used in vehicles over the past two decades and have been mandatory for all new passenger cars sold Australia-wide since November 2011 and for all new vehicles since November 2013. Stability control system.

According to MUARC, the overall safety of Australia’s light fleet has improved by more than 55% since 1981.

More small and medium-sized SUVs received five-star overall safety ratings than small and medium-sized cars, in part because most of these vehicles are newer, the report said.

“However, small SUVs and light cars have the worst occupant protection, mainly due to their lighter weight and sometimes poorer safety equipment specifications,” MUARC said.

“Commercial pickup trucks and passenger vehicles, despite being heavier, perform relatively poorly at protecting their occupants. Even more concerning is the high risk of injury these vehicle types pose to other road users, which underlines why lane keep assist and autonomous Collision avoidance technology such as braking is so important for these vehicle types. ”

Research leader and MUARC Director Professor Stuart Newstead said the updated ratings would enable consumers to make safer choices for themselves and the wider community.

“To minimize road trauma in our communities, it’s important to choose vehicles that optimize safety across all dimensions considered in used car safety ratings. We need to consider how the vehicle protects you as the driver in a crash, how well the vehicle protects you in a crash the risk of injury to other road users and the likelihood that the vehicle will avoid the collision altogether.

“Used Car Safety Ratings ‘Overall Safety’ ratings reflect a vehicle’s balance of performance across all these aspects. Choosing the vehicle with the best overall performance will have the greatest impact on reducing road trauma in our communities,” Professor Newstead said.