Rear-view cameras are built into over 17% of minivans while only 4% of pickup trucks have them

WOBURN, Mass. - Back-up cameras or “rear visibility technology” will need to be installed by manufacturers for all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds built in or after May 2018, according to a recent announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In light of the ruling, iSeeCars.com decided to analyze more than 20 million used vehicles for sale last year with model years ranging from 1981 to 2013 and see what percentage of vehicles currently have them as a standard feature. Overall, less than 9% of the vehicles have a back-up camera system installed. Based on iSeeCars.com’s analysis, about 31% of vehicles on the road will have a back-up camera by 2018.

The NHTSA reports there are almost 210 back-over deaths a year, and rearview cameras could prevent about one-third of those. “It will be a long while before all vehicles on the road are equipped with a rear-view camera,” said Phong Ly, CEO and co-founder of iSeeCars.com. “According to NHTSA estimates, it could take until 2054 to replace the whole vehicle fleet.”

The percentage of vehicles with a back-up camera has been increasing with each model year. For example, in model year 2006, just a bit over 2% of vehicles had back-up cameras. Fast forward to model year 2013 and 30.4% of those vehicles had them installed. Rear-view cameras were non-existent in production vehicles until 2003 when Acura MDX made it a standard feature in one of the styles.

% of Back-up Cameras Equipped in Vehicles by Model Year

“The increase in back-up cameras each year could be attributed to a combination of manufacturers seeing it as a differentiating safety feature and perhaps the cost of display and cameras were becoming less expensive,” Ly said.

Back-up cameras are found as a standard feature in a higher percentage of larger vehicles. Perhaps this is due to the fact that larger vehicles are higher off the ground, or because there is more distance from the driver to the back of the vehicle. About 17% of minivans and SUVs have rearview cameras, while less than 5% of sedans have them and hatchbacks are significantly less. Surprisingly, only about 4% of pickup trucks are equipped with back-up camera systems as a standard feature.

% of Back-up Cameras Equipped in Vehicles by Bodystyles

% of Back-up Cameras Equipped in Vehicles by Car Brands

Methodology:

iSeeCars.com analyzed over 20 million used vehicles for sale over the last year with model years ranging from 1981 to 2013 and studied those vehicles that come equipped with back-up camera system as a standard feature.

About iSeeCars.com:

iSeeCars.com is a data-driven car search and research company that helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources, including the iSeeCars VIN Check report and Best Cars Rankings. iSeeCars has saved users over $406 million so far by applying big data analytics powered by over 25 billion (and growing) data points and using proprietary algorithms to objectively analyze, score and rank millions of new cars and used cars.