How safe is that used car you're about to buy? Monash Accident Research Centre has crunched the numbers and compiled a list of the safest used cars on the market including the Toyota Corolla, Mazda CX-5, Subaru XV and Volkswagen Touareg

As Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and independent assessments drive vehicle manufacturers to incorporate more safety-focused technology into their new models the flow-on benefits to the used car market is proving to be a life-saver according to a new study from the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC).

In its 2024 Used Car Safety Ratings report the MUARC said it has analysed 9.4 million vehicles involved in police-reported crashes and 2.6 million injured road users in Australia and New Zealand from 1987 to 2022 to produce a list of 16 ‘Safer Pick’ vehicles that received five stars in every study category (Overall Safety, Driver Safety, Other Road User Safety & Crash Avoidance).

In total, 534 vehicle models were rated and tellingly, all 'Safer Pick' vehicles were made from 2004 onwards, with 91 per cent produced after 2008. The ratings indicate nearly all are available second-hand for under A$25,000, with over half priced at A$10,000 or less.

The Safer Pick vehicles (in alphabetical order) are:

• Audi A4/S4/RS4/All Road (2008-2015)
• Honda Civic (2016-2021)
• Honda Odyssey (2013-2021)
• Hyundai Tucson (2015-2020)
• Mazda 3/Axela (2013-2019)
• Mazda 6/Atenza (2012-2022)
• Mazda CX-5 (2017-2022)
• Mercedes Benz CLA-Class (2013-2019)
• Mercedes Benz E-Class (2009-2016)
• Mercedes Benz GLA-Class (2014-2019)
• Mitsubishi Outlander (2012-2021) 
• Subaru Impreza/XV (2016-2022)
• Toyota Camry (2017-2022)
• Toyota Corolla (2018-2022)
• Volkswagen Tiguan (2016-2022)
• Volkswagen Touareg (2011-2019)

The research used specific modelling to consider non-vehicle related factors including the sex and age of the person whose injury outcome was being measured, speed limit at the crash location, the number of vehicles involved, the jurisdiction in which the crash occurred and the year in which the crash occurred.

Primary (how a vehicle will protect its own occupants) and secondary factors (how a vehicle can protect the other road users involved in a crash) were key focuses and vehicles were broken into 10 broad market groups.

Technologies included in the ratings are Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB including those operational at low speed, at high speed and in detecting pedestrians and cyclists), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), reversing technologies (rear vision cameras and/or rear-facing collision warning sensors) and Daytime Running Lights (DRL).

The study found medium and small SUVs rated five stars for Overall Safety compared to small and medium cars, largely because most of these vehicles are newer.

Utes and people movers performed relatively poorly in occupant protection with both representing a high risk of injury to other road users.

Research lead and MUARC Director, Professor Stuart Newstead, said: “To minimise road trauma in the community it is important to choose vehicles that optimise safety in all the dimensions considered in the Used Car Safety Ratings. 

“We need to consider how the vehicle protects you as the driver in a crash, the injury risk the vehicle poses to other road users in the crash and how likely the vehicle is to avoid a crash altogether. 

“The Used Car Safety Ratings ‘Overall Safety’ rating reflects the balance of performance of a vehicle across all these aspects. Choosing vehicles that perform best overall will have the biggest impact on reducing road trauma in our communities,” he said.

The MUARC 2024 Used Car Safety Ratings can be found here.