Two eco-friendly vehicles are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to collision losses for 2014–16 model passenger vehicles, the latest claims information from HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute) shows.
The Smart ForTwo electric has the lowest overall collision losses, while the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid has some of the highest, second only to a trio of Bentley Continentals.
Sorting loss results by vehicle size and type, luxury cars, a group that includes the i8, have higher than average collision claim costs while pickups and SUVs have lower than average costs.
When it comes to injury claims, minicars or small cars have the most frequent claims for injuries to their occupants while very large pickups have the lowest.
Collision coverage insures against damage to a driver’s vehicle if he or she is at fault in a crash. Collision claims data give consumers an idea of how expensive it is to repair a vehicle, while injury data help fill out the safety picture.
HLDI also analyzes claims under comprehensive coverage which covers theft and damage not caused by a crash. Property damage liability pays for damage that an at-fault driver causes to another vehicle.
Analysts use this data to gauge the real world loss experience of vehicles, and it is a valuable comparison tool for car buyers.
“Whenever consumers are on the hunt for a new vehicle they should consult two key resources: safety ratings from IIHS and insurance loss results from HLDI,” says Matt Moore, (photo) HLDI’s senior vice president.
“Combined, they give a good picture of a vehicle’s overall safety and insurance costs.”
Insurance data are unique in that they include many crashes that don’t result in injury. In particular, data for collision claims include many crashes that don’t get reported to police.
More than half of collision claims for passenger vehicles cost less than $3,000, with the largest number falling in the $1,000–$1,999 range.
Loss information reflects both:
Collision losses also are adjusted for deductibles. A deductible is the amount of money a policyholder must pay for a claim before an insurer will expend money to settle the claim. The most common deductible is between $251 and $500. For this report, cargo vans were excluded.
Overall losses are a combination of claim frequency, or how often claims are made, and claim severity, or how much is paid per claim.
photo: hypebeast.comThe Continental GT’s overall collision losses are 6½ times the average ($390) for all passenger vehicles. Overall collision losses top $2,500 for the GT.
All but one of the cars with the 10 highest collision losses are luxury models. The exception is the Maserati Granturismo.
photo: it.wikipedia.orgIt is classified as a two door large sports car, though its price tag is bigger than that of most luxury vehicles. The Granturismo’s overall collision losses are 4 times the average for all passenger vehicles.
The average loss payment per insured vehicle year of the i8, a midsize luxury car, is just slightly higher than that of the Granturismo.
Within its own vehicle class, the i8’s collision losses far outstrip those of other midsize luxury cars, most of which have high overall losses.
“The above average losses for luxury cars are driven by their high claim severities,” Moore says. “They are expensive to buy and to repair.”
Among the 10 vehicles with the lowest overall collision losses there are four pickups, three station wagons, a sports car, a small SUV and a microcar, the ForTwo.
The ForTwo electric’s overall collision losses are 58 percent lower than other passenger vehicles.
The next best vehicle is the Ram 1500 long wheelbase four wheel drive, a large pickup whose overall collision losses are 53 percent lower than the average.
It is followed closely by a very large pickup, the Ford F-250 four wheel drive; and the Kia Soul electric, a small station wagon.
Not everyone can afford a Bentley, so HLDI also tabulated results for 2014–16 models that sell for less than $30,000.
Small and midsize cars accounted for more than half of the vehicles with the highest collision overall losses in this price group, and nearly all of the vehicles on this high-loss list are marketed for their performance.
The Hyundai Genesis midsize coupe had the highest relative overall losses, followed by the Scion FR-S, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Subaru BRZ — all sporty two doors.
In the under-$30,000 group, the ForTwo remains atop the best list, followed by the Jeep Wranglersmall SUV (the two door, short wheelbase, four wheel drive version), the midsize Subaru Outback, both with and without EyeSight, Subaru’s front crash prevention technology; and the Ram 1500 long wheelbase four-wheel drive.
When it comes to injuries in crashes, medical payment insurance pays for injuries to an at-fault driver or passengers in that driver’s vehicle. Bodily injury liability insurance pays for injuries that an at-fault driver causes to occupants of other vehicles or others on the road.
Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage is sold in states with no-fault insurance systems. This coverage pays for injuries to occupants of the insured vehicle, no matter who is at fault.
Looking at PIP, the Mitsubishi Lancer, a small four door car, has the highest frequency among 2014–16 models — at 36 claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, or about twice the average.
The Scion iA, a mini four door car, comes next with 32 claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years. Most of the vehicles with the highest PIP frequencies are minicars or small cars, with the exception of the midsize Chrysler 200 and the large Dodge Charger.
The Porsche 911 Carrera, a two door midsize sports car, had the lowest frequency among the models studied, at one-quarter of the all-passenger vehicle average.
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 coupe was next best, at one-third of the all-passenger vehicle average.
Injury claim frequencies are affected by a number of factors, including how often a vehicle is driven and on what kind of roads. A vehicle with a low injury claim rate isn’t necessarily among the safest.
In general, larger, heavier models and those with good safety ratings offer the best protection for their occupants.
| lowest overall losses | vehicle size and type | claim frequency | claim severity | overall losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart ForTwo electric | 2-door microcar | 3.3 | $4,921 | $162 |
| Ram 1500 LWB 4WD | large pickup | 4.5 | $4,065 | $185 |
| Ford F-250 4WD | very large pickup | 3.8 | $4,940 | $187 |
| Kia Soul electric | small station wagon | 5.0 | $3,786 | $189 |
| Chevrolet Corvette Z06 convertible | midsize sports car | 2.8 | $7,145 | $204 |
| Jeep Wrangler 2-door SWB 4WD | small SUV | 3.1 | $6,555 | $205 |
| Ram 2500 crew cab SWB 2WD | very large pickup | 6.2 | $3,451 | $215 |
| F-350 SuperCab 4WD | very large pickup | 4.6 | $4,789 | $221 |
| Subaru Outback 4WD with EyeSight | midsize station wagon | 5.9 | $3,750 | $222 |
| Subaru Outback 4WD | midsize station wagon | 6.0 | $3,692 | $222 |
| hghest overall losses | vehicle size and type | claim frequency | claim severity | overall losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley Continental GT 2-door 4WD | very large luxury car | 7.1 | $35,744 | $2,536 |
| Bentley Continental Flying Spur 4-door 4WD | very large luxury car | 8.1 | $28,816 | $2,338 |
| Bentley Continental GTC convertible 4WD | very large luxury car | 6.5 | $29,478 | $1,932 |
| BMW i8 plug-in hybrid 2-door 4WD | midsize luxury car | 7.7 | $21,588 | $1,657 |
| Maserati Granturismo 2-door | large sports car | 8.6 | $18,785 | $1,498 |
| BMW M6 2-door | large luxury car | 8.6 | $17,436 | $1,498 |
| Audi RS7 4-door 4WD | large luxury car | 8.7 | $16,013 | $1,401 |
| BMW M3 4-door | midsize luxury car | 8.0 | $16,866 | $1,359 |
| BMW M4 2-door | midsize luxury car | 10.0 | $13,499 | $1,349 |
| Maserati Ghibli 4-door 4WD | large luxury car | 10.1 | $13,372 | $1,339 |
| Average all passenger vehicles | Claim Frequency | Claim Severity | Overall Losses |
| 7.4 | $5,256 | $390 |
| lowest overall losses | vehicle type and size | claim frequency | claim severity | overall losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart ForTwo electric | 2-door microcar | 3.3 | $4,921 | $162 |
| Jeep Wrangler 2-ddor SWB 4WD | small SUV | 3.1 | $6,555 | $205 |
| Subaru Outback 4WD with EyeSight | midsize station wagon | 5.9 | $3,750 | $222 |
| Subaru Outback 4WD | midsize sation wagon | 6.0 | $3,692 | $222 |
| GMC Canyon extended cab | small pickup | 5.2 | $4,298 | $233 |
| Ram 1500 LWB | large pickup | 5.4 | $4,384 | $236 |
| Volkswagan Golf electric | 4-door small car | 5.1 | $4,644 | $236 |
| Jeep Wrangler 4-door 4WD | midsize SUV | 3.5 | $6,774 | $240 |
| Ford F-150 | large pickup | 3.9 | $6,190 | $240 |
| Mazda CX-5 4-door | small SUV | 6.3 | $3,903 | $245 |
| highest overall losses | vehicle size and type | claim frequency | claim severity | overall losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Genesis | 2-door midsize car | 11.4 | $6,755 | $769 |
| Scion FR-S | 2-door small car | 12.1 | $6,197 | $753 |
| Ford Mustang 2dr | large sports car | 10.3 | $6,622 | $686 |
| Chevrolet Camero 2dr | large sports car | 10.2 | $6,469 | $659 |
| Subaru BRZ | 2-door small car | 10.5 | $6,215 | $656 |
| Dodge Challenger | 2-door large car | 10.6 | $5,906 | $628 |
| Kia Optima hybrid | 4-door midsize car | 10.5 | $5,614 | $592 |
| Mitsubishi Lancer 4WD | 4-door small car | 10.2 | $5,787 | $591 |
| Dodge Charger | 4-door large car | 11.4 | $4,997 | $571 |
| Mitsubishi Lancer | 4-door small car | 11.2 | $5,027 | $563 |
| lowest claim frequency | vehicle size and type | claim frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Porsche 911 Carrera 2dr | midsize sports car | 4.4 |
| Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2dr | midsize sports car | 5.1 |
| Porsche Boxter convertible | small sports car | 5.2 |
| Mercedes-Benz SL-Class station wagon 4WD | large luxury SUV | 5.5 |
| Mercedes-Benz SL-Class convertible | midsize sports car | 6.3 |
| Porsche Cayman 2dr | small sports car | 6.8 |
| Land Rover Range Rover 4dr 4WD | large luxury SUV | 6.9 |
| Chevrolet Corvette 2dr | midsize sports car | 7.1 |
| Chevrolet Corvette convertible | midsize sports car | 7.1 |
| Tesla Model S 4dr electric 2WD | large luxury car | 7.1 |
| highest claim frequency | vehicle size and type | claim frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Lancer 2WD | 4-door small car | 36.0 |
| Scion iA | 4-door minicar | 31.6 |
| Nissan Versa | 4-door small car | 31.2 |
| Kia Rio | 4-door minicar | 30.8 |
| Chevrolet Sonic | 4-door small car | 29.8 |
| Chrysler 200 2WD | 4-door midsize car | 29.7 |
| Kia Forte | 4-door small car | 29.7 |
| Scion iM | small station wagon | 29.4 |
| Dodge Charger 2WD | 4-door large car | 29.1 |
| Kia Rio | mini station wagon | 28.6 |
