You may be able to turn your minivan into a moving living room, with video screens, seats that offer multiple configurations, and even tables in for the back rows, but one thing you can't do is risk even a low-speed fender-bender. Why? Well, it can cost you as much as $3500 to repair the damage.
When you consider that the average adult walking speed is around 6 mph, and a toddler can run at half that speed, the grocery store parking lot suddenly seems pretty scary.
This information comes from a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which conducted a series of front- and rear-end bumper crash tests at parking lot speeds - 3-6 mph. The results were less than pretty: In front-impact crash tests, the Chevy Uplander sustained the most damage, with estimated repair costs of $1,631, while the Toyota Sienna fared worst in rear-corner crashes, with damages totaling $1,229. The Nissan Quest, an over-achiever of sorts, topped out the damage reports in both front-corner and rear-impact crashes, which racked up costs of $1,995, and $3,549 respectively.
The Quest also had the highest total repair costs from all four crash tests combined, a whopping $8,102, which included a replacement tailgate (needed after a 6 mph crash), and the least expensive repair bill for combined damages was the Honda Odyssey, at $5,256.
The tests were performed by the IIHS, which represents the insurance industry nationwide. In their scenarios, cars and minivans were run into a barrier approximating the height of a car bumper. While even the minor bumps to minivans resulted in costly repair bills, the repairs for sedans would have been even worse, because van bumpers are higher, which minimizes the likelihood of over-riding a struck object.
The IIHS says that federal laws governing safety guidelines are part of the problem. Bumpers are only required to withstand crashes at speeds up to 2.5 mpg without damage to other systems (headlights, for example).
As of this writing, Nissan's sedans were the worst performers, and SUVs had not yet been through testing.