New Corolla Best in Class For Insurance And Crash Repairs

• Lowest in class insurance grouping for new Corolla – Starts at 3E – one group lower than the equivalent Ford Focus, VW Golf and Honda Civic
• T Sport rated at 14A – three groups lower than the Honda Civic Type R
• Low speed collision damage costs reduced by half
• Front chassis leg can be replaced in less than an hour and without the aid of a chassis jig
• Over 46 per cent cheaper to repair in a front-end low speed crash than a Peugeot 307
• Over 52 per cent cheaper to repair in a rear impact than a Vauxhall Astra
• Over 23 per cent cheaper for a basket of service parts than a VW Golf and over 48 per cent cheaper than a Citroën Xsara

The new Toyota Corolla, launched in the UK on 2 January 2002, has been awarded best in class insurance classification throughout the range. This means that the entry level T2 3-dr hatchback has an insurance group of just 3E, two groups lower than the outgoing 1.4-litre Corolla and only one group higher than the 1.0-litre Yaris.

T2 1.6-litre models have been rated at 5E, three groups lower than their 1.6-litre predecessors and one group lower than the Peugeot 307 1.6 and Honda Civic 1.6i S.

The great work done in development to ensure the new Corolla is cheaper to repair means that the car requires fewer parts than others to repair a similar impact. It is thanks to this development that, in part, allows new Corolla to have such low insurance rates.

In the UK market, cost of ownership is formalised by the insurance classification rating from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) which states, in one figure each vehicle’s performance in the field of security, damage and the cost of repairing it, with direct impact on insurance costs. These classifications were established following extensive analysis of repair costs and industry approved crash testing.

Insurance groups for the new Corolla are as follows:

Another key area for new Corolla related to innovation and with a strong impact on the overall customer acceptance is cost of ownership, encompassing a variety of different factors ranging from service and repair costs to driving costs.

Duncan McMath, Toyota Motor Europe General Manager responsible for the Technical Division of the Customer Service Group, said: “The new Corolla is being launched into the most competitive segment of the European market and to very cost-conscious customers. These super-low insurance costs will be particularly appreciated by the younger drivers we expect to be attracted to the more-sporty looking new Corolla.”

Low Speed Collision Damage Costs Cut by Around 50 Per Cent

Cutting the cost of ownership has therefore been a design priority for new Corolla. Through the use of intelligent design and engineering, repair costs for frontal damage in the event of a low speed crash (9mph, 40 per cent off-set collision) have been cut by around 50 per cent from the previous model.

Specific action includes items such as replaceable headlamp mounting brackets which are designed to break on impact before the lamp itself is damaged; a front impact absorption member which avoids damage to the radiator; and a keen price focus on parts that do get damaged.

A major engineering breakthrough has come with the design of the front chassis leg. In the event of minor damage, the front section of this costly item can now be replaced individually – in less than an hour and without placing the car on a jig.

Parts Price Comparisons

When comparing parts pricing, especially the basket of parts required to repair the standard front or rear impact, Corolla shows a cost advantage.

Corolla 1.4-litre

In a typical front impact – low speed, offset – items such as bonnet, grille, bumper cover, headlamp etc are usually needed. For new Corolla these amount to £385.79, 22.4 per cent less than on the previous model and more importantly less than all the sector competition. Most expensive is the COTY winning Peugeot 307 that is almost 50 per cent more expensive. Perversely, PSA stable mate, the Citroën Xsara is the closest to the new Corolla, but even it is over 4 per cent more. The market leaders from Ford and GM are both over seven per cent more.

A comparison of a similar basket of parts needed to repair a rear impact shows that new Corolla maintains its value advantage over the Peugeot to the tune of 38 per cent. The Astra has leapt to the bottom of this particular chart by being 52.4 per cent more expensive. Only the Citroën shows a clear advantage over the new Corolla at 10 per cent less.

Even those who avoid accidents will have to pay for routine servicing. Toyota’s two-year/20,000 regular checks interspersed with one-year/10,000mile health checks allow for both peace of mind for the owner and lower lifetime servicing costs. The Toyota service intervals apply equally to both petrol and diesel engined Corollas.

However, even just comparing the basket of typical service parts – keep in mind some competitors will need twice as many brake pads and filters over time – and Corolla still wins.

Pads, filters and plugs amount to less that £90 for the new Corolla. That is 17.7 per cent less than the old model, which was itself still competitive in this area. This is borne out by the fact that all bar the Ford and the Vauxhall are at least 18 per cent more while the Citroën pays for its good crash parts performance by being a stinging 48 per cent more in the service bay. The Focus and Astra are both three per cent more, a signal that new Corolla can compete head on in the Fleet market.

Corolla Verso

Unsurprisingly it is a similar story for the Verso against its current MPV competitors. Only the Picasso is cheaper in crash parts – and then only by 2.5 per cent – while against the Scenic, Verso is 18 per cent less in a front impact and almost 50 per cent less against Zafira in a rear impact.

In the service bay Verso wins by at least nine per cent (Zafira) while the French duo (Scenic and Picasso) are 35 per cent and 66 per cent more expensive respectively.

ENDS