A small French hatchback has proven it is not the best battering ram, after a Queensland man drove into the gates of the US Embassy in Canberra.

A 30-year-old is due to face court after careening his Peugeot into the gates of the diplomats’ residence. There was reportedly no damage to the driver, but the gates will cost upwards of $80,000 to repair. The collision certainly caused a furore though, with a large police turnout, closing of nearby roads and a sweep by a bomb-detecting robot.

Police will lets courts determine whether the crash was intentional or accidental, though one witness alleges the driver turned off his lights and accelerated purposely into the gates at high speed. He was arrested and kept in custody overnight, charged with damaging the premises of an internationally protected person.

The man made only a feeble attempt at a getaway after his car became lodged on security bollards. US Ambassador Jeffery Bleich and his family were at home in the embassy at the time of the crash.