The Automobile Association has released its first-ever “Entry Level Vehicle Safety Report” that assesses the safety features of 23 cars currently available in South Africa for under R150 000.
The AA says the purpose of the research was “to highlight the importance of safety features in new cars, understand how these features can save lives, and encourage new car buyers to consider safety in their decisions, and not only price”.
The 23 vehicles assessed were categorised into three groups based on their safety ratings: acceptable, moderate or poor safety.
“Too often people look only at the price-tag, and ‘gimmick features’ of a new car, and don’t put safety in their basket of requirements. But, many safety features are available, especially on newer models, which can make the difference between life and death,” said the Association.
“This is also important when considering that many people who are attracted to buying (or driving) entry-level vehicles are often those with the least driving experience. It makes the availability of safety features critical to overall road safety,” the AA added.
In addition to the stated safety features, international safety ratings and price were used to establish a baseline score for each of the vehicles. The highest rating any car could achieve was 9.00 points on the AA’s Safety/Affordability index, based on all the considered elements.
Of the 23 vehicles assessed, four achieved acceptable safety ratings, while eight returned moderate safety ratings. However, in this price range, as many as 11 were rated as having poor safety features.
The AA said it was worried that certain brands appeared to appeal only to the price-sensitive buyer, and offer “no notable safety features at all”.
“What we’d like to see is that all car manufacturers include more safety features in their vehicles, and to make more use of international safety ratings such as NCAP from the region of manufacture or the region of importation. In this way, we believe, customers will be better placed to know what they are getting in terms of safety,” the AA concluded.
Check out the AA infographic below, which rates each of the 23 vehicles…
