These safety ratings are determined from real car crash data.
Safer cars save lives: Buying a safe car may be one of the most important decisions you make. Each year road crashes in Western Australia result in approximately 200 fatalities and 300 serious injuries. Many of these deaths and serious injuries could have been prevented if the drivers had chosen a safer vehicle.
Monash University Accident Research Centre analysed data from more than two million car crashes in Australia and New Zealand. Their research has been used to establish Used Car Safety Ratings that can assist you in buying a safer car.
Used car safety ratings for popular cars 1996 - 2009: The safety ratings below outline how well different cars performed in reducing the risk of injury to the driver and other road users.
Find out more on the Assumptions and Qualifications of the Used Car Safety Ratings.
What’s the difference between these ratings and new car safety ratings?
New car safety ratings (ANCAP) are determined by crash testing vehicles in a controlled laboratory setting while the used car safety ratings are calculated using data from police reports on actual crashes. Research shows that the two ratings systems correlate well overall.
See the ANCAP New Car Safety Ratings Search
However, the results should not be compared directly because the different sources of ratings can lead to differences in the assessment of some vehicles. Any vehicle safety rating system can only provide an indication of the relative levels of protection between vehicles you can expect in the event of a crash. Whether or not you die or are seriously injured in a crash also depends on how safely you drive your vehicle.