AIBU to worry about the safety of my small car - mini

[pollyname]

I get really nervous driving on motorways with DS in the backseat of our mini - AIBU? We feel so small next to all the big cars/ trucks on the road. It's perfect for the school run and only take the car out of London a handful of times a year. We can't really afford a bigger car, but AIBU to think we should get one?

It's not about the size of the car, it's the technology that stops the car from crumpling and airbags etc. When you watch their crash testing, it's amazing how the cars hold together.

My Mini is really solid and I've always felt safe in it.

If it's an original BL Mini, then you are right to be concerned. If it's a modern BMW Mini, then get a grip. A newish small car will be safer than the biggest cars from over 15 years ago.

Bigger does not mean safer. Check out the Euro/NCAP rating for the car you own, and any car you may think about switching to.

Crash test videos are usually available if you google it.

Do you realise that the new Mini has the same size floorpan as a Land Rover? It has a bit of a nerve to call itself a Mini, quite frankly!

(Have you ever seen new ones next to an old Mini? Now that is a small car)

To paraphrase a MN classic, you have a fear problem, not a car problem.

Thank you all! Our mini is 12 years old, so not super new - am currently googling the safety of our particular mini.

Your car is as safe as any other. It sounds as though you need more driving experience though, to conquer your nerves.

I have to say, I had a test drive in a Mazda MX5 (Well a Fiat Spider 124), and it was such a strange experience, being so low down. I can't imagine feeling so exposed in a mini, but I can see where you are coming from.

New minis are incredibly safe.

Not sure about your 12 year old one though, but I don't suppose it's any worst than most other old cars.

It’s probably safer than most cheap big cars. Size doesn’t matter as much as construction. I wouldn’t switch a mini for one of those plasticy cars that gets smashed to a pulp in accident.

Your car is as safe as any other.

No it isn't. It'll be safer than many cars out there, and it'll be less safe than many others. Given that safety features are improving constantly, and it's 12 years old, it's likely to be less safe than every car less than 5 years old, and more safe than every car over 20 years old.

I was in a major accident in my mini and escaped serious injury due to the car’s safety features.

I used to have a Mini. The kind that you could cut open with a tin opener, and had what was essentially a piece of cardboard between me and the engine. Yours is not unsafe.

In any case, if you can't afford a bigger car and rarely take it out of London anyway, you would be out of your tree insane to spend money on one. You could hire a bigger one for the longer journeys if you really felt it necessary but larger doesn't necessarily mean safer.