The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested the seven most popular small cars — the smart ForTwo, Chevy Aveo, Mini Cooper, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio — in four different low-speed tests: front bumper, front corner, rear bumper, rear corner. The cost of replacing the parts were used to determine whether the cars achieved high or low ratings. The worst performer was the Kia Rio with $9,380 worth of damage, earning it a "Poor" rating. Also earning a "Poor" rating were the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio. The Chevy Aveo did one better with a "Marginal" rating. The best vehicle was the Smart Fortwo with only $3,281 in total damage from the four tests, earning it an "Acceptable" rating. None scored "Good." Take a look at the damage below.

The costliest design choices include the Mini Cooper's sloping hood, which wraps around the front car like a fender and thus has to be replaced in a low speed test. The numerous plastic pieces help keep the Smart on the cheaper end of repairs because the parts are easy to replace, saving the trouble of replacing an entire fascia. The Chevrolet Aveo received a "Marginal" rating, due in large part to its pre-painted fenders, which are cheaper to replace because there's no need to factor painting into the replacement cost.

Mini and microcar bumpers allow pricey damage;
none of the 7 tested rates good under new system

ARLINGTON, VA - Urban drivers often pick mini and microcars because they're affordable, fuel efficient, and easy to park on city streets. Fender-benders are hazards of urban driving, and just one of them can add up to thousands of dollars in repair costs because the bumpers don't adequately protect vehicles from damage. None of the bumpers on 7 mini and microcars the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested earns the top rating of good, and just 1, the Smart Fortwo, is acceptable. Five out of the 7 earn poor ratings and 1 earns a marginal.

The Institute evaluated results according to a new ratings protocol for low-speed tests that better represents the damage insurance claims centers assess daily. The worst performer is the Kia Rio with $9,380 total damage in the 4 tests, 2 full-width and 2 corner impacts, to earn a poor rating. The Rio's repair bill is worse than those of most other small and midsize cars and minivans the Institute has tested. This minicar racked up about $3,700 damage, or 30 percent of its purchase price, in the full-front test alone. The Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, and Mini Cooper also earn poor ratings for bumper performance (see table below).

The Smart Fortwo is best overall, with $3,281 total damage in 4 tests. Costs are relatively low for this microcar because its prepainted plastic body panels are dent-resistant, inexpensive, and easy to replace. The Chevrolet Aveo, a minicar, is next best, with $4,490 total damage.

"You should be able to drive your car home after a low-speed crash, but too often vehicles are sidelined by only minor impacts," says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. "Damage to sheet metal, air-conditioning condensers, and safety equipment like headlights should never happen when your car is bumped at just 3 to 6 miles an hour. Bad bumpers add up to one big headache for consumers."

New ratings system: These are the first bumper test results released under a new Institute ratings protocol that's based on repair costs averaged and weighted to reflect real-world damage patterns. These averaged and weighted repair costs determine each vehicle's overall rating of good, acceptable, marginal, or poor in 4 bumper tests representing full-width and corner crashes at low speeds. Weighted average repairs must be less than $500 for a good rating, less than $1,000 for acceptable, and less than $1,500 for marginal. Repairs of $1,500 or more earn bumpers a poor rating.

"Bumpers can be designed so there's no damage in these low-speed impacts. At a minimum, repairs should cost less than the typical insurance deductible for a collision, which is $500," Nolan explains. "This is why we set the benchmark for a good rating at less than $500. Damage at this level may be only cosmetic, so consumers may choose not to bother with repairs. Likewise, $1,000 is about the cost of a new bumper cover, reinforcement bar, and paint, while $1,500 includes replacing vehicle parts like grilles and headlights. When you reach $1,000 the bumper isn't doing its job, and anything $1,500 or higher is egregious."

No vehicle can earn a good or even an acceptable rating in the Institute's bumper tests if it's unsafe to drive afterward or can't be driven at all. Inoperable headlights or taillights, severely buckled hoods, or a compromised engine cooling system would prevent any vehicle from achieving the top 2 ratings. For instance, the Accent's hood buckled and its radiator hose kinked in the full-front test.

"If you decided to drive away after this, you'd be calling a tow truck in short order because of engine overheating," Nolan says.

Besides this group of minicars and a microcar, the Institute has tested 54 other vehicles under the new ratings protocol. The Smart Fortwo joins the Ford Focus and Scion xB as the only cars to earn acceptable ratings. The Aveo is 1 of 15 to rate marginal. Of the 61 cars the Institute has tested so far, 43 rate poor.

How they're rated: The Institute puts bumpers through 4 crash tests including full front and rear into a barrier that mimics the front or back bumper on another vehicle plus front and rear corner impacts. The full-width impacts are run at 6 mph while the corner ones are at 3 mph. The shape of the barrier the Institute uses to test bumpers represents a typical vehicle bumper. It's set at 16 inches from the ground in the corner test and 18 inches from the ground in the full-width test.

Bumpers are supposed to absorb the energy of low-speed collisions and slow vehicles before there's damage to expensive-to-repair parts like grilles, hoods, and fenders. They also should extend to vehicle corners to protect costly lights and fenders.

Bumpers have to be tall enough to engage, and stay engaged with, the bumpers on other vehicles in collisions, even during emergency braking. Otherwise, the bumpers bypass each other when vehicles collide, overriding and underriding so crash energy is absorbed by body parts instead of bumpers.

For example, the front bumper of the Rio briefly engaged the barrier in the front full-width test before it underrode it, resulting in damage to its grille, hood, headlights, radiator, fender, and air-conditioning condenser, plus the bumper reinforcement bar. The Rio had the most expensive damage in this test, and the Accent had the second highest.

Five of the 7 cars in the full-front test underrode the barrier, and none sustained less than $1,000 damage. The 2 that engaged the barrier, the Aveo and Fit, have the lowest damage totals in this test. In the full-rear test, only the Mini Cooper fully engaged the barrier. It also has the highest bumper of the group and the second lowest damage total behind the Smart Fortwo's. The Mini's rear bumper is tall enough to do a reasonably good job in the full-width-rear test. Repairs cost $929, while the Smart's bill is $631. Damage to the Fit in the same test is $3,648, or 25 percent of this car's list price.

"Just about every panel and part on the back of the Fit had damage in the full-rear test," Nolan says. "The bumper isn't in the right place to protect the tailgate, rear panel, and taillights because it's mounted too low. It's built this way to allow easy cargo access through the tailgate. The trade-off is that in an everyday rear-ender, the other car will hit the tailgate instead of the bumper."

Pricey styling decisions: The Mini Cooper is the only car the Institute has tested with a hood that buckled in the front corner test. This is a pricey styling design on the manufacturer's part, Nolan points out. The minicar's hood wraps around the front of the car like a fender, so instead of replacing just a fender, the car needed an $810 new hood. Repairs total $2,637 in this test.

Minor impacts can cause lots of damage if the bars underneath bumper covers aren't long enough to protect car bodies out to the front and rear corners, compromising lights and other safety-related parts. Five of the 7 cars in the full-front test and 6 in the front corner test required headlight replacement.

In the rear corner test, the bumpers on the Aveo, Mini Cooper, Rio, and Yaris all engaged the barrier. Damage was limited to the bumper cover, a sign of a better bumper design.

"Bumpers are doing their job if the only damage is to the bumper cover. Bumpers aren't doing their job when headlights get knocked out or sheet metal crumples after a low-speed impact," Nolan says.

Smart's design saves on repairs: The Smart's plastic body parts easily can be replaced in sections. This makes repairs relatively affordable in comparison to other vehicles. For example, front and rear bumper covers come in 3 sections each (left, right, and center), so mechanics need to replace only the damaged parts instead of the entire plastic cover. Also keeping costs down is the fact that the bumper cover sections are prepainted. They cost roughly $160 for the center section and $180 each for the left or right fender sections.

This is the first car the Institute has tested that has prepainted body panels. In comparison, it costs $480, not including labor, to replace and paint a front bumper cover on the Aveo.

"With consumers watching every penny in this shaky economy, no one should have to shell out hundreds and even thousands of dollars to fix damage that shouldn't happen in the first place. That's not to mention the time that's wasted coordinating and waiting for repairs," Nolan says. "Our new bumper ratings should help streamline the buying process so consumers can zero in on vehicles with good bumpers. At the same time, the ratings should encourage automakers to make improvements that help move cars off their lots."

Better bumpers don't have to be complicated. Auto manufacturers already know how to make good ones. Longer and taller reinforcement bars and energy-absorbing material are key to reducing damage in low-speed collisions.

[Source: IIHS]

10.) 2009 Kia Spectra

MSRP: $14,200
Crazy Incentive: $1,500 cash back in select areas
Pros: Five star crash rating, it comes in red to match the bow
Cons: Dinky cloth seats, fear of everything else on the road
How You Sell It: "This is the fifth nicest car Kia makes"

9.) 2008 Hyundai Elantra

MSRP: $13,970
Crazy Incentive: 0% financing or $1,000 cash back
Pros: It has four doors, America's best warranty, good mileage
Cons: It looks like a toy car
How You Sell It: "A Hyundai is practically a Honda, right? I mean, come on, both have an H on the front."

8.) 2008 Suzuki Reno

MSRP: $13,299
Crazy Incentive: 3.6% financing, $250 loyalty cash for qualified buyers
Pros: Good warranty, sharp-looking and a stereo with a cassette player!
Cons: A stereo with a cassette player, small, sounds like a city best known for the parody police show
How You Sell It: "You'll be the only one in the neighborhood with one of these."

7.) 2008 GEM E6

MSRP: $12,995
Crazy Incentive: $500/$1000 cash back
Pros: Seats six comfortably, uses no gas, different
Cons: Can only drive on streets with a 35 mph or less speed limit, 40-mile range, doors cost extra
How You Sell It: "Look Ma, I bought you a futuristic electric car."

6.) 2009 Chevy Aveo/Aveo5

MSRP: $12,625
Crazy Incentive: Red Tag MSRP $11,797
Pros: Your choice of sedan or hatch, it's an American car
Cons: It's an American car designed and built by Daewoo, small
How You Sell It: "You're partially supporting America with this car"

5.) 2009 Toyota Yaris

MSRP: $12,205
Crazy Incentive: $500 customer cash
Pros: 36 MPG highway fuel economy
Cons: Small enough to be flattened by a Corolla
How You Sell It: "Our love is as reliable as a Toyota!"

4.) 2009 Kia Rio

MSRP: $12,145
Crazy Incentive: 0.0%financing/$500 cash back
Pros: Standard Sirius AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system, full-length airbags
Cons: Drum brakes, 14-inch steel wheels, plastic body trim
How You Sell It: "This car's name is Rio and it dances in the sand."

3.) 2008 Smart fortwo Pure Coupe

MSRP: $11,900
Crazy Incentive: $99 to reserve a spot
Pros: Fun European design, easy to park, trendy
Cons: A two-seater, no a/c, power steering or radio standard
How You Sell It: "It's European!"

2.) 2009 Nissan Versa 1.6S

MSRP: $9,990
Crazy Incentive: 0% financing
Pros: Roomy for its class, good mileage
Cons: No a/c, no radio, no anything even hinting at convenience
How You Sell It: "Don't worry about the mortgage, I didn't spend more than $10K on on this..."

1.) 2009 Hyundai Accent GS

MSRP: $9,970
Crazy Incentive: 0% financing or $1,000 cash back
Pros: It's the cheapest car in America, good mileage, four whole speakers
Cons: No a/c, no radio, automatic transmission a $2,100 premium
How You Sell It: "I just bought you a car, okay. Don't be ungrateful"

[Photo Credit: Yahoo! Autos, Manufacturers, Alex Wong / Getty Images]

But first some stats on the Toyota Camry Hybrid. For starters, it's a "dual-mode" hybrid utilizing the same Toyota-branded Hybrid Synergy Drive found in the Toyota Prius. The trim level of the Camry Hybrid is relatively up-featured, including LED taillights, a DVD-based navigational system and most of the features found on the top-of-the-line Camry XLE. Though the Camry was originally advertised with a higher mileage, new EPA standards bring the over-reaching hybrid down to a city and highway rating in the low-to-mid 30 mpg range. Despite the lower rating, the Camry Hybrid is still the sales king for those who want a hybrid, aren't concerned about highway mileage, and want something that looks more normal than a Prius. However, there are alternatives to the super number one best automaker from the land of the rising sun.
City: 33 mpg
Highway: 34 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
MSRP: $26,150

2009 Honda Civic GX CNG

The Honda Civic GX CNG is an interesting study in alternative fuel sources, their advantages and what-the-hell T. Boone Pickens is talking about. The GX looks just like any other Honda Civic, but runs on compressed natural gas typically added from a home fueling station. This Civic is inferior to the Camry in terms of city or combined mileage, but slightly bests the Toyota sedan on the highway. The Civic GX also has a lower cost of ownership (it needs minimal services), has a significantly smaller carbon footprint and costs about the same. The technology is still in development, though, so less than 1,000 vehicles are typically produced each year.
City: 24 mpg
Highway: 36 mpg
Combined: 28 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $25,090

2009 Kia Rio (Auto)

The Kia is among the smallest, cheapest new cars for sale in the United States, coming in at more than half the price of the Toyota Camry Hybrid and more than 1,000 pounds lighter. Powered by a 110-horsepower fourbanger tied to a CVT transmission, the little Kia is slightly better than the Camry on the highway, though much worse in the city. While much cheaper, the Rio offers few of the features and almost none of the prestige, comfort, desirability or practicality of the Camry. Even with limited availability for Toyota, the 2008 Rio only bested the Camry Hybrid's sales by 134 cars.
City: 26 mpg
Highway: 35 mpg
Combined: 30 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $12,145

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Coupe XFE

Essentially a 2009 Chevy Cobalt with a few light tweaks, the Cobalt XFE is modified ever so slightly to improve fuel economy — and prove that an American car can make the grade without a hybrid drive. Adjustments are mostly under the hood where the engineers tweaked the intake and exhaust valve lift duration, swapped the transmission gear ratios for lower operating revs, and put on some low-rolling-resistance tires. The result may only be 1 mpg over the previous year, but that's a step in the right direction. Like the other cars that take the lighter approach, the biggest gains are found at highway speeds.
City: 25 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
Combined: 30 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $15,225

2009 Mini Cooper (Manual)

Fans of the Mini Cooper have always been able to boast about all the fun they have driving their itsy-bitsy British bimmer — so much fun that they forget to mention that it gets stellar gas mileage. Though not as useful as a Camry as a family vehicle, the Mini is at least a few hundred times more fun and gets a combined mileage just 2 mpg short of the big hybrid. There are no tricks here. The Mini is just a well-engineered, sufficiently-powered small car offered with a sixth gear.
City: 28 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $19,200

2009 Toyota Yaris (Manual)

All of the 2009 Yaris models equipped with the manual transmission get the same EPA mileage, so you're not necessarily stuck with a little three-door hatch if that's your route towards mileage. The five-door S hatch comes equipped with rear-window wipers, fog lights, MP3/CD player w/ iPod interface and other nice features, though you'll have to tack on $3,000 to the base price. Though it can't quite compete with the Camry in city driving, this tiny Toyota does better on the highway and is close on the combined cycle.
City: 29 mpg
Highway: 36
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $12,205

2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

We found the 2008 Mariner Hybrid to be a fairly decent ride with only a few flaws, many of which were addressed with the 2009 refresh. The Mariner Hybrid, and it's twin brother Escape Hybrid, is most similar to the Camry in that it offers power, luxury and good gas mileage in a single package — an SUV package at that. Though slightly off the Camry's total, this is one of the few vehicles that bests the Toyota in the city.
City: 34 mpg
Highway: 31 mpg
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City
MSRP: $29,750

2009 Volkswagen Jetta & Jetta SportWagen TDI (Manual)

Both the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and its wagon sibling the SportWagen are within the Camry's price range and offer the utility, relative luxury and foreign car appeal of the Toyota. Unlike the Camry, the Jettas are both eligible for a tax credit. In the ongoing diesel-versus-hybrid debate the TDI twins step up with a comparable combined cycle and a substantially higher highway experience, a reflection of the efficiency and power of the diesel engine. And there's no risk of running short because of battery supplies.
City: 30 mpg
Highway: 41 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $21,990/$23,590

2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Nissan is still technically selling the Altima Hybrid, a car that is a direct competitor with the Camry, but sales have lagged far behind nearly all of its competitors. Why? It may have something to do with battery supply, but it also may have something to do with the reason why people are choosing the regular Camry over the regular Altima: age. The Altima, though refreshed, is a rather tired design that lacks the same appeal and luxury of the Toyota. It trumps the better-selling green sedan in the city, but no one seems to care.
City: 35 mpg
Highway: 33 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City
MSRP: $26,650

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

It should come as no surprise that the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, currently the third-best selling hybrid car behind the Camry, bests the Camry in all areas of fuel economy by a large margin. It's smaller. It's lighter. The Prius is more of a competitor to this hybrid than the Camry, though Toyota has done a good job of making their larger hybrid price competitive with the Civic sedan.
City: 40
Highway: 45
Combined: 42 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City, Highway, Combined
MSRP: $23,550

2009 Toyota Prius

The king. The reigning champ. The green boss. You can't touch the Prius and neither can the Camry Hybrid — at least not in mileage. Though all of these buyers are likely eco-minded, some hybrid huggers just don't like the Prius, don't want a hatchback or maybe just think the larger hybrid sedan is a perfect foil.
City: 48 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg
Combined: 46 mpg
Advantage: City, Highway, Combined
MSRP: $22,000

[Hybrid Sales Data: HybridCars.com. Fuel Economy Data: FuelEconomy.gov]

As is often the case with such a creation, we have no idea what the rationale for it was. But, since the vehicle looks to be a Kia Rio Daewoo under all the fruity garb, we suppose it may actually be an improvement over the standard budget-priced base model.
[Offbeat Earth] hat tip to Tim!

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