Used car buyers in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, will be able to make the safest possible vehicle choice with the help of a new used car buyers guide.

The 2020-21 Used Car Safety Ratings Buyers Guide covers 261 makes and models and provides a comprehensive picture of the safety of all different types of used vehicles on the market.

“Your car choice might save your life if you’re involved in a crash,” said Tara McCarthy, Transport for NSW Deputy Secretary for Safety, Environment and Regulation.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic this year many more people are choosing to drive and used car sales have increased. I’m urging all drivers to choose the safest vehicle possible to protect themselves, their passengers and other road users in a crash.”

The guide includes five-star rated vehicles across a variety of categories as well as “safer picks” that are said to give excellent protection to the driver, cause less serious injury to other road users and include crash avoidance technology.

Some of the highest rating vehicles are priced between $5,000 and $10,000 – showing that those on a budget, or young people buying their first vehicle, can still choose a safer vehicle.

The guide has been developed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre on behalf of the NSW Centre for Road Safety and other members of the Vehicle Safety Research Group. The Centre analysed records from more than 8.5 million vehicles and 2.1 million injured road users involved in road crashes throughout Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2018 to put the publication together.

The Used Car Safety Ratings guide is available online at https://towardszero.nsw.gov.au/safesystem/safe-vehicles