Cost of Bulletproof Cars in Brazil

Ana Gabriela Verotti Farah

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

16 April 2013

This sector has increased in the past years, considering that people feel safer in bulletproof cars. Learn in this article what this market is like in Brazil and check the list of the 10 least expensive bulletproof vehicles.

Bulletproof Vehicles in Brazil

Lately, the fear of being robbed in traffic made the number of bulletproof cars in Brazil reach a record. According to the Brazilian Association of Bulletproof Manufacturers, known as Abrablin, in 2011, 8,106 vehicles received this protection, which represents an increase of 10,55% compared to the 7,332 bulletproof cars of 2010.

The state of São Paulo leads the statistics, with 74% of the total of bulletproofed cars, followed by the state of Rio de Janeiro, with 14%. Even though the numbers are incredibly high in both states, there is being a decentralization of the sector. The Northeast and the South region also appeared in the statistics of the association, with Pernambuco (2%), Paraná (1%) and Bahia (1%). The 4% left is represented by the states of Pará, Minas Gerais, Ceará, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso, Espírito Santo, Alagoas, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Distrito Federal and Goiás.

Things to Consider Before Bulletproofing a Car

Protecting a car with a bulletproof system is complex and expensive. The process consists in dismantling the car, preserving only its body, the motor and the dashboard. Then, after all the material with ballistic protection is installed, the car must be rearranged properly and carefully, in order to maintain its original characteristics.

Installing bulletproof system usually doubles the price of the car, and sometimes costs even more than this. Before spending money with a bulletproof vehicle, it is important to consider carefully if the investment is worthy.

Types of protection

People who search for bulletproof protection usually want the best one available. There are three levels of protection of bulletproof cars:

• Level I: it's the smallest protection available. It can handle shots from caliber 32 and 38 guns, but can't resist to shots from guns with a higher caliber. Thus, the owner of the car should be aware of the limitations of this protection and evaluate the types of guns to know if the car would resist to a bullet.

• Level II and II-A: according to the American classification, both levels are considered as only one level. The bulletproof car in this level of protection is resistant against 9 mm caliber guns and .357 Magnum.

• Level III-A: according to Abrablin, it is four times more resistant than level I and is used by 95% of the market. It protects against all handgun calibers, including sub machine 9 mm guns and .44 Magnum.

Cost of the Protection

Another important thing to have in mind is how much money will be spent in the bulletproof protection. Prices vary according to the type of protection wanted and to car sizes.

There are also three levels for this. The following costs are based in level III-A cars.

• Low cost bulletproof: usually the cars bulletproofed are pickup trucks, whose owners want the lowest cost and a discreet protection. Prices are approximately BRL 40 000 and BRL 41 000.

• Average cost bulletproof: it is most commonly used for average sedans. This protection costs from BRL 42 000 to BRL 45 000.

• High cost bulletproof: it is used in most sophisticated vehicles which require a more careful service, and for big cars, like sport utility vehicles (SUVs). This protection costs from BRL 48 000 up, and there are cars in which this service can reach BRL 75 000.

Levels I, II and II-A have bulletproof protections from BRL 20 000 up. However, these levels of protection are not commonly used – only in most popular cars and in cars that can't handle the weight of a level III-A protection. They are available only in a few companies.

Choosing the Company

To manufacture bulletproof components, companies must have a certificate of the Armed Forces guaranteeing that they've passed the bulletproof test. Only companies with the Registry Title issued by the Army can commercialize the products. The companies that bulletproof cars must be registered in the army and must obtain a certificate to bulletproof and commercialize each car (CR – Certificate of Registration). Checking the Registry Title and the CR of a company is the first step before choosing it.

Doubt of companies that offer very low costs of bulletproof protections, as well as very light ones. Due to the complexity of this service, it is usually heavy and expensive.

The Ten Least Expensive Bulletproof Cars in Brazil

Important!

Check if your car is suitable with a bulletproof protection. Small and light cars can be compromised by the weight of the extra component. Convertible cars and cars with sunroof aren't recommended for bulletproofing too. Average and big cars, as well as cars with a higher performance, are the most indicated for this type of service.

Have in mind that even a bulletproof car isn't a guarantee of 100% protection, since there are parts of the vehicle which doesn't have the same protection as the rest of the car (for instance, glasses usually are more vulnerable). According to the international standards, bulletproof cars must resist up to five shots in an area of 20 cm2, which means that in case there is a sixth shot in this area, it may not resist.