Do you know your car’s safety rating?

According to the Automobile Association (AA), almost 75% of prospective new car owners say that their buying decisions are influenced by whether a vehicle has been safety rated and crash tested.

Up to 81% of prospective buyers say the ratings of vehicles influence their decision if they are presented with two similar vehicles with different safety ratings. The survey came after the launch in 2017 of #SaferCarsforAfrica, the first independent crash-test assessment by the AA and Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme). The aim of the assessment is to test and show consumers whether the cars they are driving meet basic global safety standards.

The AA says manufacturers will be smart to realise the growing trend for safer vehicles locally, as this will play a gradually more important role in buying decisions in the future.

They also say that it’s important that government legislates that minimum safety standards are applied to new vehicles, and that new vehicles must carry vehicle safety ratings at the point of sale, making it easier for buyers to assess the safety of vehicles, and to use this information in making their decision.

"Given South Africa’s high road fatality rate, and low vehicle insurance take-up among motorists, safer vehicles are no longer an option but a necessity. Prospective new vehicle owners must do their homework on the vehicles they are considering buying, with a key factor being the safety rating it receives," concludes the AA.

For more information on the AA and Global NCAP tests and results so far, click here. For Euro NCAP car ratings, where you can check your car’s safety rating, click here.

Read more:

All you need to know about roadworthiness tests