- the 2019 tesla model 3 has passed the insurance institute for highway safety's battery of crash and safety testing and achieved its top rating of top safety pick+.
- this is the first time a tesla has made the top safety pick list.
- it's also only the second all-electric vehicle to get the rating, joining the audi e-tron on the list.
the tesla model 3 was named a top safety pick+ by the insurance institute for highway safety (iihs), the first time tesla has made the list, with top good ratings in every crash test and a superior rating for its frontal crash prevention system. its standard headlights, a category that has stopped other vehicles—including the chevrolet bolt ev—from achieving the plus designation, were also rated good.
the iihs battery of tests for top safety pick include driver's-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests, and the newer passenger-side small overlap test. the vehicle tested must also have a front crash prevention system and headlights rated good.
the tesla model s, last tested in 2017, achieved good ratings for all but the driver's-side small overlap front test, which was rated acceptable, and the headlights, rated poor.
tesla has made safety a cornerstone of its promotion of the model 3. last fall, tesla ceo elon musk clashed with the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa), which sent musk a cease-and-desist letter over his statements in a blog post that the car had the "lowest probability of injury" of any vehicle ever tested by the government agency. nhtsa did give the 2019 model 3 its top five-star rating for safety, however.
there are currently 48 cars and trucks on the iihs top safety pick+ list, a category that was created in 2013.