The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has providedthe information in this booklet in compliance with Federal law as an aid toconsumers considering the purchase of a new vehicle. The booklet comparesdifferences in insurance costs for different makes and models of passengercars, station wagons/passenger vans, pickups, and utility vehicles on thebasis of damage susceptibility. However, it does not indicate a vehicle'srelative safety.

 

The following table contains the best availableinformation regarding the effect of damage susceptibility on insurancepremiums. It was taken from data compiled by the Highway Loss DataInstitute (HLDI) in its December 2005 Insurance CollisionReport, and reflects the collision loss experience ofpassenger cars, utility vehicles, light trucks, and vans sold in the UnitedStates in terms of the average loss payment per insured vehicle year formodel years 2003-2005. NHTSA has not verified the data in this table.

 

The table presents vehicles' collision loss experience in relativeterms, with 100 representing the average for all passenger vehicles.Thus, a rating of 122 reflects a collision loss experience that is22 percent higher (worse) than average while a rating of 96 reflects acollision loss experience that is 4 percent lower (better) thanaverage. The table is not relevant for models that have beensubstantially redesigned for 2006, and it does not include informationabout models without enough claim experience.

Although manyinsurance companies use the HLDI information to adjust the 'base rate' forthe collision portion of their insurancepremiums, the amount of any such adjustment is usually small. It isunlikely that your total premium will vary more than ten percent dependingupon the collision loss experience of a particular vehicle. If you do notpurchase collision coverage or your insurance company does not use the HLDIinformation, your premium will not vary at all in relation to theserankings.

 

In addition, different insurance companies often chargedifferent premiums for the same driver and vehicle. Therefore, you shouldcontact insurance companies or their agents directly to determine theactual premium that you will be charged for insuring a particularvehicle.

 

PLEASE NOTE: In setting insurancepremiums, insurance companies mainly rely on factors that are not directlyrelated to the vehicle itself (except for its value). Rather, they mainlyconsider driver characteristics (such as age, gender, marital status, anddriving record), the geographic area in which the vehicle is driven, howmany miles are traveled, and how the vehicle is used. Therefore, to obtaincomplete information about insurance premiums, you should contact insurancecompanies or their agents directly.

 

Insurance companies do notgenerally adjust their premiums on the basis of data reflecting thecrashworthiness of different vehicles. However, some companies adjust theirpremiums for personal injury protection and medical payment coverage if theinsured vehicle has features that are likely to improve itscrashworthiness, such as air bags.

 

Test data relating to vehiclecrashworthiness are available from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program(NCAP). NCAP test results demonstrate relative frontal and side crashprotection in new vehicles. Information on vehicles that NHTSA has testedin the NCAP program can be obtained by calling the agency's toll-free AutoSafety Hotline at 888-327-4236 and through NHTSAs Web site at .