Cars and Drivers

Is Tesla's Model 3 the Safest Car Ever?

Paul Ausick

Published: October 8, 2018 10:40 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 4:45 pm

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued its overall safety rating for the Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model 3. Like its older siblings, the Model S and the Model X, Model 3 received a perfect five-star rating in every category and subcategory of NHTSA’s testing. The new model then went one better.

According to a Tesla blog post, Model 3 demonstrated the lowest probability of injury of all cars the NHTSA has ever tested. The agency’s data showed that Model 3 occupants are less likely to get seriously hurt in a front, side or rollover crash than in any other car. Tesla’s Model S and Model X rank second and third, respectively.

The company noted that the vehicle tested was the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive 4-door version, but that Tesla expects “similar results” for other versions of the car, including the dual-motor versions.

Tesla touted the design of Model 3:

Like Model S and Model X, Model 3 benefits from its all-electric architecture and powertrain design, which consists of a strong, rigid passenger compartment, fortified battery pack, and overall low center of gravity. These safety fundamentals help to prevent intrusion into the cabin and battery modules, reduce rollover risk, and distribute crash forces systematically away from the cabin – all while providing the foundation for our superior front crumple zone that is optimized to absorb energy and crush more efficiently.

In side crashes, Model 3 posted the lowest intrusion from side pole impact of a vehicle tested by NHTSA, the company noted. And while NHTSA standards require that cars be able to withstand three times their own weight in a rollover crash, Tesla’s own testing shows that Model 3 can withstand loads more than four times its own weight.

Safest car ever? Tesla may have a legitimate claim to the title.