The Tesla Model 3 has earned a top safety pick award from the US-based highway safety organisation the second year running, gaining top scores in crashworthiness and vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance and mitigation.
Announced this morning by the carmaker via Twitter, the results of the latest round of testing from the US-based insurance body IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) are now accessible through its website.
The Model 3 was awarded the “Plus” version of the award which is given only to car models with “good” or “acceptable” headlights. Out of 64 vehicles that gained a top pick rating, only 23 were awarded the plus rating.
Model 3 recently earned the 2020 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award. Winning cars are selected on their ability to protect people inside and outside the car
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Tesla is yet to release an official statement on the newest rating, although in a broad statement regarding the latest round of testing the IIHS noted the impact its focus on headlights has had on influencing carmakers to pay attention to this important criteria.
“The headlight ratings that have been part of our awards criteria in recent years have pushed automakers to pay more attention to this essential equipment,” said IIHS president David Harkey in a statement.
“However, finding vehicles with the right headlights can be a challenge for consumers. We wanted to reward automakers that have removed this obstacle.”
The IIHS notes in its report on the Model 3 that both low beam and high beam headlights offered good visibility on both sides of the road. The full statement from the IIHS follows:
Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp right curve, fair on the gradual right and sharp left curves, and inadequate on the gradual left curve.
The low beams never exceeded glare limits.
High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual left and both right curves and fair on the sharp left curve.
High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle’s low beams on the straightaway, on both left curves and on both right curves.
Out of the full list of ratings, Tesla scored lowest on vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention, scoring “advanced” compared to its “superior rating for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention.
This lower score echoes safety testing by European safety body Euro NCAP, which in 2019 rated the “Vulnerable Road Users” category as the Model 3s lowest rating.
At the time, Tesla responded to public criticism via a statement noting that “real-world data collected from the sensor suite of every Tesla vehicle made since October 2016, coupled with data from billions of inputs from actual drivers to help us understand how drivers behave in dynamic scenarios.
“This data gives us a more precise understanding of the environment around our cars and the different ways that accidents happen, allowing us to more accurately predict when an accident is likely to occur and deploy automated technology to mitigate or avoid it.”
In 2019, the Tesla Model 3 became the second electric vehicle to have been added to the “Top Safety Pick+” listing in IIHS history.
In 2019, IIHS Chief Research Officer David Zuby noted that “vehicles with alternative powertrains have come into their own. There’s no need to trade away safety for a lower carbon footprint when choosing a vehicle.”
You can view the full crash test videos below:
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.