Used Car Safety Ratings are calculated from a statistical analysis of police crash reports; specifically crashes that have happened over the last 20 years in New Zealand and in five states of Australia. There are currently about a million crashes in this database.
Each year the statistical analysis of police crash reports is recalculated to include crashes that happened that year. Data is then re-evaluated so that the performance of individual makes and models of cars can be compared. They also look at the:
risk to the driver
was the driver injured in the crash?
if injury occurred, how severe was it?
harm to other road users
were other road users injured in the crash?
what happened to the pedestrian, the cyclist, the motorcyclist or the driver of the other car?
if injury occurred, how severe was it?
The highest Used Car Safety Rating is 5 stars. Used car buyers should look for a vehicle with at least a 4 star rating for occupant safety. Vehicles that offer excellent occupant safety and are less likely to harm other road users are given a 'best pick' rating.
Used Car Safety Ratings are only available for a vehicle once sufficient numbers of that make and model have crashed. The safety star ratings on this site are based on the latest ratings available. ANCAP ratings are also listed where they are available.
