Most damaged cars 2024: which vehicles get into accidents the most?

No car is bulletproof and they all occasionally get damaged. Be it a small scratch when parking in a tight garage or a severe accident, after which a vehicle can only be sold for parts. When damages are registered, after a while, they end up on carVertical’s history reports.

Since we process millions of reports every year, our team collected quite a pile of damaged car data. After counting all the damaged cars in 2024, we came up with extensive research on damage statistics.

Apparently, some cars are more prone to get into traffic incidents than others. Let’s explore those vehicle brands and the reasons behind their high damage rates.

BMW cars get into accidents the most

The internet is full of videos of BMW drivers speeding in the streets, not using the turn signal, and occasionally crashing into a house, tree, or other cars. No wonder BMW is at the top of the most damaged cars list of 2024 – 66.7% of all BMWs checked on carVertical by our users had minor or major damages. This is a slight decline from 67.4% last year.

In fact, BMW is the most damaged car brand across most European countries. Out of 15 countries analyzed in the research, BMW had the most damage records in 7 of them. Porsche models were the most damaged in 4 countries, Tesla in 2, and Dacia in 1.

Over the course of the year, the situation has changed. Last year, only in Lithuania and Slovakia BMW cars weren’t the most damaged ones. In both countries, BMW ranked 2nd among the most damaged cars. However, this year, we can see that Porsche and Tesla have climbed to the top positions of the most damaged vehicles in a few countries.

Older BMWs are especially popular among young and inexperienced drivers wanting to show off. Even insurance companies agree that BMW owners may take more risks than other drivers, therefore insuring a BMW isn’t the cheapest thing.

Of course, not every damage event necessarily involves irresponsible behavior on the road. Cars damaged by hail, flood, storm, or other natural disasters are also involved in general damage statistics.

BMW is followed by Hyundai (62.1%), Subaru (59.5%), Porsche (55.9%), and Mitsubishi (55.7%). Most of these brands produce powerful vehicles, which have higher chances of getting damaged.

Drivers interested in these cars should be particularly careful and inquire about any past damages and repairs with the seller. Without thorough checks, these models could become costly headaches for new owners.

Historical damage records can reduce a car's residual value, making it harder to resell later. Cheap or improper repairs might lead to higher maintenance costs over time. Additionally, if the vehicle suffered structural damage or had airbags deployed, its safety could be compromised.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Alfa Romeo, with a modest share of 28.4% of damaged cars. Last year, it was also the least damaged brand – only 30.6% of Alfa Romeo models had damages.

Among the vehicle brands with the lowest percentage of damages, you can find economy-class car manufacturers like Fiat (30.6%), Renault (38.4%), and Peugeot (37.8%). However, there’s also a Land Rover squeezed in the middle (34.8%), which is clearly a black sheep among these brands. Interestingly, the top 5 least damaged car brands remained the same since last year, only proving that low-power economy-class cars are less likely to be involved in accidents. Except for the Land Rover, of course.

How many damage records in a history report are too many?

Some car brands may have more damage records than others, and there’s no limit to how many times one can harm their old vehicle. This year’s record belongs to a Volkswagen Passat with a whooping 32 damage records on its history report.

Coming back to planet Earth, the numbers are a bit more modest. BMW again makes it to the top of the list with 2.03 damage records on average in a history report, down from 2.34 last year. Lexus had 1.98 damage records, Porsche – 1.94, Audi – 1.83, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Honda – 1.79.

Statistically speaking, it’s completely normal for a vehicle to get into an accident every 5 years. However, this also depends on the annual mileage and driving habits.

Fiat vehicles get into accidents the least – an average Fiat model had 1.49 damages on carVertical report, Peugeot – 1.52, Renault – 1.53, Citroen – 1.53, and Opel – 1.54. This only proves that every car may have damages, which should be closely inspected before buying.

Premium cars break records for the most expensive damages

When a vehicle suffers damage, insurance companies evaluate how much it will cost to restore a car to its original shape. The higher the damage value is, the more serious a vehicle’s damages may be.

The cost of repairing a damaged vehicle depends greatly on the brand. Economy-class cars are cheaper to repair, so their damage costs are naturally lower. However, even a minor accident involving a luxury SUV can lead to repair bills in the thousands of euros.

Porsche cars had the highest average damage value on carVertical – €9,463, followed by Jaguar (€4,983), Mercedes-Benz (€4,875), Land Rover (€4,655), and Lexus (€4,553).

On the other side, we have Dacia, with an average damage value of €2,214, Skoda – €2,668, and Citroen – €2,764.

Buying a car with past damages: yes or no?

After reading about damaged cars and realizing how many of them had suffered various accidents, you may be wondering, how on Earth one should pick a reliable vehicle. And should a car with past damages be ignored?

Not necessarily. If a vehicle had minor damage, such as a broken tail light or bumper, this shouldn’t cause your concern. However, you should skip cars that suffered severe accidents that may affect their safety.

Checking a car’s history report will reveal a vehicle’s past damages and their estimated repair costs. As you can see in the example below, this car had various damages throughout its lifespan. The air conditioning system, suspension, gearbox, and other components may have been broken and then repaired later.

However, this car may also have issues that will only start to show up after several months or later. That’s the worst thing with damaged cars – you don’t know if they’re repaired well and won’t cause trouble in the future. Otherwise, these kinds of vehicles can easily turn into a money pit and you won’t be able to do much about it. A faulty car will be worth less and you’ll lose money when selling it.

Methodology

carVertical’s research examined actual car history reports acquired by our users from October 2023 to October 2024. The damages listed in reports were aggregated by car brands, analyzed, turned into percentages, and ranked.

Vehicle history reports use data from over 900 international databases, including those belonging to law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, state and national registries, insurance companies, and classified ad portals. Processing millions of car history checks allows us to see trends, insights, and forecasts of used car markets across various countries.