A Complete Guide to Tesla Safety Ratings
From their copious crumple zones to their cutting-edge semi-autonomous self-driving mode, Tesla’s safety ratings are consistently high.
Written by Ethan Moser
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Safety is a key facet of Tesla’s manufacturing goals, leading to continuous top safety marks on all four of their current models. This makes the all-electric brand one of the safest car manufacturers worldwide.
Tesla prides themselves on engineering what they consider to be the safest cars in the world—and they have the safety ratings to back it up! For instance, the Tesla Model 3 achieved the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Model S made history as the first NHTSA model to ever receive a perfect rating in all categories and sub-categories. In short, Tesla is certainly a brand to be reckoned with when it comes to safety.
Interested in learning more about Tesla’s safety ratings? Here with a comprehensive guide on the safety features and ratings on all of Tesla’s currently offered models is the
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We'll also show you the easiest way to reduce your Tesla insurance cost
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Are Teslas safe in accidents?
Teslas are incredibly safe vehicles to drive, offering owners a combination of passive and active safety features, as well as an automated driver-assistance mode—
Autopilot
. This combination of features has established the all-electric brand as one of the safest luxury car manufacturers since its debut in 2008. What makes a Tesla safe?
Part of what makes Tesla models so safe is that they offer features that are unique from any other cars on the market. From their state-of-the-art autonomous driving mode to a host of advanced driver-assistance technology, Tesla vehicles make driving safely a standard feature.
One facet of Tesla vehicles that makes them particularly safe is the rigid, fortified structure of their battery packs. Mounted on the vehicle’s floor, Tesla battery packs allow the vehicles to have exceptional strength and larger crumple zones than other luxury sedans.
Because of their location, these battery packs rarely incur damages as the result of an accident. In the event of an accident that leads to a fire, Tesla battery packs are equipped with a state-of-the-art design that isolates the flames to specific areas of the battery while simultaneously venting heat away from the vehicle’s passenger area.
Because all Tesla vehicles are interconnected, Tesla is able to not only monitor millions of miles of real-world data, but they can also implement safety software updates remotely, even years after the vehicle has been purchased.
A
recent study
from Tesla showed the frequency of accident occurrences in Tesla models where the Autopilot semi-autonomous driving mode was engaged. For reference, the NHTSA reported that, on average, American drivers experience one crash for every 484,000 miles traveled. Let’s compare this to Tesla’s crash occurrences over the last few years: - Quarter 1 of 2020: 1 crash per 4.68 million miles traveled
- Quarter 2 of 2020: 1 crash per 4.53 million miles traveled
- Quarter 3 of 2020: 1 crash per 4.59 million miles traveled
- Quarter 4 of 2020: 1 crash per 3.45 million miles traveled
- Quarter 1 of 2021: 1 crash per 4.19 million miles traveled
- Quarter 2 of 2021: 1 crash per 4.41 million miles traveled
- Quarter 3 of 2021: 1 crash per 4.97 million miles traveled
- Quarter 4 of 2021: 1 crash per 4.31 million miles traveled
Even at their worst over the last two years—the fourth quarter of 2020—Tesla models experienced seven times fewer accidents per mile than the national average.
In addition to the semi-autonomous self-driving mode, Tesla models come standard with a host of driver-assistance technology, including self-parking technology, automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and Tesla’s
Summon
feature that allows drivers to park and retrieve their car from outside the vehicle. The two safety rating systems you need to know
In the United States, there are two organizations, one federal and one non-profit, that provide reliable and rigorously tested safety ratings for vehicles— National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
NHTSA ratings
come in the form of an out-of-five star system. Since 1993, the NHTSA has been testing the safety of vehicles, particularly through extensive crash testing. The three major crash tests that the NHTSA performs are: - Frontal crash
- Side crash
- Rollover
The IIHS, on the other hand, conducts
six tests
to determine a vehicle's safety, including front and side crash tests. Additionally, they test cars on the ease of use and safety of a vehicle’s LATCH car seat attachments, as well as testing for crashworthiness and collision mitigation. IIHS ratings run from Good—the highest rating possible—down through Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor (the worst possible score).
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Which Tesla has the highest safety ratings?
At one point or another throughout Tesla’s history, each of their models—Model Y, Model X, Model S, and Model 3—have received a perfect five-out-of-five star rating from the NHTSA. When it comes to the 2022 model year, however, only the Model Y and Model 3 received ratings from the NHTSA, both of which were five-star. Similarly, both the Model Y and Model 3 were named IIHS Top Safety Pick+ choices for 2022.
The IIHS gave both models an overall Good rating. The only negative mark that the Model 3 received was on the ease of use of its LATCH child car seat attachments.
MORE: How to find vehicle safety ratings
2022 Tesla Model Y safety ratings
Starting price: $64,440
IIHS safety rating: Good (Top Safety Pick+)
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars overall
The
Tesla Model Y
comes standard with a permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 1 AC induction, and combined 384-hp lithium ion battery. This fully-electric midsize luxury sedan also comes standard with automated emergency braking, Tesla’s Autopilot autonomous driving mode, and optional self-parking capabilities.2022 Tesla Model X safety ratings
Starting price: $116,440
IIHS safety rating: Not rated
NHTSA safety rating: Not rated
The 2022
Tesla Model X
has yet to receive ratings from either the IIHS or the NHTSA, however, the model made history in 2017 when it became the first ever SUV to receive a perfect five-star rating from the NHTSA. In addition to a regular host of driver-assistance features, the Model X comes standard with Summon—a feature that allows drivers to park and un-park their vehicle without actually being in the driver’s seat. 2022 Tesla Model S safety ratings
Starting price: $101,440
IIHS safety rating: Good overall, Poor for headlights
NHTSA safety rating: not rated
The 2022
Tesla Model S
has yet to be rated by the NHTSA. However, the model made history in 2013 when it became the first vehicle to ever receive a perfect rating from the organization in every category and sub-category. That said, recent model years have gone conspicuously untested by the NHTSA and have been the subject of extensive recalls. While the recalls were based on software and infotainment features, it’s still worth noting that they haven't been tested by the NHTSA in quite a while. Of course, the Model S’s exceptional rating from the IIHS for its most recent model year is still enough to corroborate the luxury hatchback’s reliability.
2022 Tesla Model 3 safety ratings
Starting price: $48,440
IIHS safety rating: Good overall, Acceptable for LATCH ease of use (Top Safety Pick+)
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars overall
The 2022
Tesla Model 3
backs up its reputation as one of the safest cars on the market with a near-perfect rating from both the IIHS and the NHTSA. This luxury sedan notably received the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by the NHTSA in 2018. Standard safety and driver-assistance tech on the Model 3 includes automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, semi-autonomous Autopilot mode, and more.
How you can save money on Tesla insurance
Driving a reliably safe car like a Tesla can do more than provide you peace of mind while behind the wheel—it can also help to keep your insurance payments low!
By avoiding accidents, you can not only avoid expensive repair bills, but you can also avoid unwelcome increases to your insurance premium. Another way to save money on your car insurance premium is to shop for your next policy with Jerry.
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