Shocking crash test footage released by Transport NSW has demonstrated that not all used cars are equal when it comes to safety.
Alongside the release of the 2024 Vehicle Safety Research Group (VSRG) Used Car Safety Ratings report, Transport NSW published a head-on crash test between a Holden Colorado and GWM V200, both from 2012.
The GWM came off second-best after colliding with the Colorado at 64km/h, causing significant trauma to the legs and upper body of the dummy seated in the driver’s seat.
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Meanwhile, the Holden Colorado was shown to be far safer, better withstanding the force of the impact.
Poor collision outcomes contributed to a one star overall safety rating for the GWM V200/240, while the Colorado received four stars from VSRG.
VSRG’s UCSR report formulates safety ratings for used cars based on three criteria – how well a vehicle protects its driver from being killed or seriously injured in a crash (Driver Safety rating), how well the vehicle protects other road users from being killed or seriously injured in a crash (Other Road User Safety rating), and the effectiveness of crash avoidance technologies fitted to the vehicle (Crash Avoidance rating).
Overall safety ratings are calculated from the analysis of around 9.4 million vehicles and 2.6 million injured road users in police-reported road crashes across Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2022.
A total of 404 vehicles were ranked as part of the 2024 report.
In general, newer cars fared better across the board, a trend exemplified by the best-selling Toyota RAV4 SUV.
The first-generation 1994-2000 RAV4 only managed a one star rating based on the VSRG model, a score that improved with each generation up to the fourth generation (2013-2019) model which received five stars.
The GWM V200 wasn’t the only modern vehicle to perform poorly – the 2009-2014 Suzuki Alto also scored one star overall, despite boasting a five star rating for other road user safety.
On the other hand, some older models still managed the maximum five-star rating, including the 1997-2004 Lexus GS.
