About used car safety ratings

Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) help you identify the safer models when you are purchasing a second-hand vehicle

Crash records from over 3 million police-reported crashes in New Zealand and Australia between 1987 and 2006 were analysed by Monash University's Accident Research Centre in Melbourne.

Each vehicle is rated as to how well it protects its driver in a crash. Also rated is the risk each vehicle presents to other drivers involved in a crash with that particular model.

The vehicle ratings published here were developed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) whose rating methods have received international recognition. This release is the latest update of the  Used Car Safety Ratings 2008  (107KB/1 page) in a series released periodically since 1992.

Crashworthiness

Crashworthiness refers to the level of protection offered by a vehicle to its driver in a crash. It is influenced by factors including the structural design of the vehicle body and fitment of safety features such as airbags, seat belt design and padding of the vehicle's interior.

However not all airbags, for example, are the same. This is why crash records have been used to determine how well individual vehicle models have protected their drivers.

The vehicles are rated for Crashworthiness according to how much better or worse they are than the average vehicle.
	At least 20% less likely to suffer a serious injury or death
	Significantly less likely to suffer a serious injury or death
	Average risk of serious injury or death
	Significantly more likely to suffer a serious injury or death
	At least 20% more likely to suffer a serious injury or death

Other sources of vehicle safety information

The other major vehicle safety ratings program is the Australian New Car Assessment Program. ANCAP performs crash tests on popular new vehicles and rates their relative level of occupant protection.

The ANCAP rating method differs to the UCSR ratings method. ANCAP ratings are based on laboratory crash tests that predict the relative occupant protection level of each tested vehicle, in a serious crash.

The UCSR ratings are based on records of over one million on-road crashes that have occurred over a number of years.

Studies conducted by MUARC have found that ANCAP crash test results are a good predictor of new vehicles' on-road crash performance.

Purchasing a safe vehicle

Choosing a safe vehicle may be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. There were 1,147 motor vehicle fatalities on Australian roads in 2004. Many of these deaths and other serious injuries would have been prevented or reduced in severity had drivers chosen a safer vehicle.

The range of occupant protection offered by different vehicle models is wide. On average, a modern vehicle will provide better protection in a crash than an older one. But not all modern vehicles are the same. Safety features such as airbags, advanced seat belt design and vehicle bodies designed to minimise the forces on their occupants are critical.

It is recommended buyers choose a vehicle with a Crashworthiness Rating of Dark Green or Green and at a minimum, Yellow.