Bumpers, even those on expensive cars, don’t resist damage in low-speed impacts. The Infiniti G35, the worst performer, sustained almost $14,000 damage in a series of 4 tests conducted at 3 and 6 mph by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Saab 9-3 was the best, sustaining $5,243 damage. Only 3 cars sustained less than $6,000 damage, while 4 would cost more than $10,000 to fix.

Why bumpers don’t bump: The purpose of a bumper is to absorb the energy of a low-speed collision before it damages expensive-to-repair parts like fenders and hoods. But there are multiple problems, the first of which is that the bumpers on colliding vehicles often don’t line up vertically so they don’t engage to begin with. Even some that do line up don’t stay engaged during an impact. Their aerodynamic styling may allow them to slide under the bumpers of the vehicles they strike. This means they can’t do the job of energy absorption.

Another problem is that the bars underneath bumper covers, which are supposed to do the main work of absorbing crash energy, often aren’t up to it. They may not be big enough to provide much protection from damage, especially if they don’t extend to vehicle corners, or they may be too flimsy to absorb much energy.

Something else driving high repair costs after minor bumps is the price of replacement parts to fix the damage. This is especially true of luxury cars, which are expensive not only to purchase but also to repair.

To assess and compare bumper performance in low-speed impacts, the Institute conducts a series of 4 low-speed tests — full front and rear into a barrier designed to mimic the front or back bumper on another vehicle plus front and rear corner impacts. The full-width impacts are conducted at 6 mph while the more demanding corner impacts are run at 3 mph.

Produced for Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Duration : 0:2:45

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