More than $1,500 in repairs after a crash at 6 mph or less? You’d better believe it. In recent tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), six popular minivans racked up an average of $1,537 in repairs per crash when their bumpers sustained damage at low speeds. “These minivans don’t have the worst bumpers we’ve tested, but they still allow way too much damage in minor impacts,” says Joe Nolan of IIHS. “It’s damage that consumers shouldn’t have to pay for.”
IIHS researchers subjected the Chevrolet Uplander, Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest and Toyota Sienna to a battery of four tests that simulated common minor collisions. They included front and rear full-width impacts at 6 mph and front and rear corner impacts at 3 mph.

The Honda Odyssey proved the best of a bad lot. It sustained a total of $5,258 in repairs in the four tests, an average of about $1,315 per crash. The Nissan Quest fared worst, ringing up $8,102 in repairs—including a whopping $3,549 in the full-width 6-mph rear crash (similar to ramming or backing into another vehicle’s bumper in a mall parking lot). Researchers found this particularly disappointing, because the full-width test should be the easiest; it spreads the force of impact over the widest area. However, the Quest’s rear bumper system failed and the reinforcement bar cracked, resulting in extensive bodywork and replacement of the entire tailgate.