Is Tesla the Safest Car? Tesla Safety Ratings by Model Year
No official rating names a single safest car, so the honest answer to whether Tesla is the safest is that ratings apply to a specific model, model year and test. NHTSA shows 5 stars overall for several Tesla model years, IIHS lists the 2027 Model Y and 2026-27 Cybertruck as 2026 Top Safety Pick+, and some Tesla entries are Not Rated. This guide lays out what each body measures, how Tesla models appear by year, and how to check any car yourself.
How Tesla Models Score on Official Crash Tests (NHTSA + IIHS)
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NHTSA publishes star ratings through its 5-Star Safety Ratings program, where one star is the lowest and five stars is the highest. The table below comes from NHTSA’s safety ratings data for Tesla, retrieved October 15, 2026, and shows a sample of model years and variants. Always confirm the exact year and variant in the NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings search.
| Model year and variant (NHTSA listing) | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Model 3 4-door AWD | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2023 Model Y AWD (early release) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2023 Model S AWD (early release) | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | 5 |
| 2024 Model 3 4-door AWD | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated |
| 2024 Model Y AWD | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2024 Cybertruck AWD | 5 | 5 (front passenger side: 4) | 5 | 4 |
| 2025 Model Y AWD | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2025 Model X AWD | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | 5 |
| 2026 Model 3 4-door BEV AWD | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2026 Model Y BEV AWD (2nd release) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2026 Cybertruck BEV AWD | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 2026 Cybertruck BEV RWD | Not Rated | 5 | 5 | Not Rated |
| 2026 Model S BEV AWD | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | 5 |
Read the table by row, not by name. The 2023 Model 3 shows 5 stars in every column, while the 2024 Model 3 AWD entry shows Not Rated in every column, even though both are Model 3 listings. The same name can carry different results in different years.
IIHS runs a separate program. Its 2026 Top Safety Pick page lists Tesla twice, both as Top Safety Pick+: the 2027 Tesla Model Y in the midsize luxury SUV group and the 2026-27 Tesla Cybertruck in the large pickup group. To earn Top Safety Pick+, IIHS requires Good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front and side tests, acceptable or good headlights, good pedestrian front crash prevention and acceptable or good vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention, all with standard availability. The Model 3, Model S and Model X do not appear on that 2026 list, and that absence says nothing about their individual test ratings; look each one up on the IIHS Top Safety Pick list page and its ratings section.
Who Tests What: NHTSA, IIHS, Euro NCAP and Tesla
Each source answers a different question, which is why a Tesla can look excellent in one and unrated in another.
| Source | What it measures | How Tesla models appear | Limit to remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings | Frontal, side barrier, side pole and rollover results, plus an Overall Vehicle Score of 1 to 5 stars | Several Model Y, Model 3 and Cybertruck entries show 5 stars overall; some Model 3, S and X entries are Not Rated | Frontal and Overall scores compare only within a class and +/- 250 lbs |
| IIHS Top Safety Pick awards | Eight current tests, with awards built on crash tests, headlights and front crash prevention | 2027 Model Y and 2026-27 Cybertruck are Top Safety Pick+ on the 2026 list | Awards are for a model year and category; fully electric variants must be tested separately |
| Euro NCAP stars (0 to 5) | Occupant protection, crash avoidance and post-crash safety; four pillars from 2026 | Look up each Tesla by model on euroncap.com | A rating is valid for up to six years; the latest one is the most relevant |
| Tesla’s own Vehicle Safety Report | Tesla’s telemetry-based collision rates for FSD (Supervised) versus manual driving | Tesla’s own figures, stated as Tesla’s claim | Not an independent test; methodology includes assumptions Tesla itself lists |
What NHTSA’s Stars Measure, and Why Not Rated Is Not Unsafe
NHTSA says its program evaluates how vehicles perform in crash tests beyond what federal law requires, using frontal, side and rollover tests because those types account for most crashes. The frontal test crashes a vehicle into a fixed barrier at 35 mph, the side barrier test uses a 3,015 lb moving barrier at 38.5 mph, and the side pole test pulls the vehicle sideways at 20 mph into a 25 cm pole.
The Overall Vehicle Score is built from injury probabilities in the frontal, side and rollover results, then compared with the average risk across the vehicle fleet. Five stars means overall injury risk is much less than average for this vehicle. NHTSA also notes that Not Rated appears when a vehicle has not been tested for a particular crash condition, and that all vehicles sold in the United States are certified by their makers as complying with the applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. That is why a Not Rated Model S row is a gap in the dataset, not a failing grade.
NHTSA recommends looking for driver assistance technologies that have met its performance tests: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, crash imminent braking and dynamic brake support. For a plain-language view of how those systems differ from crash protection, see active vs passive car safety features and car safety features explained.
What “Safest” Can and Cannot Mean
Three limits stop any single car from being called the safest. First, ratings are per model, year and test, so a result for one trim or year does not transfer automatically. IIHS says it carries a rating over to the next model year only when it determines nothing has changed in a way that could affect crash performance, and that fully electric variants must always be tested separately from a gas version.
Second, size matters. IIHS notes that larger, heavier vehicles generally afford more protection than smaller, lighter ones, so a small car that earns an award may not protect its occupants as well as a bigger vehicle that does not earn it. NHTSA likewise restricts comparing frontal and Overall scores to the same class and within 250 lbs.
Third, the sources measure different things. A crash test is a controlled scenario and does not cover crashes outside the tested conditions. For other brand questions, our pages on what car is the safest, cars with the best safety ratings and whether Subaru is the safest car take the same model-by-model approach, and what BMW EVs offer compared with Tesla covers a different comparison.
What Tesla’s Own Vehicle Safety Report Says
Tesla publishes a Vehicle Safety Report on tesla.com, which now covers Full Self-Driving (Supervised). As of October 15, 2026, the page states that, compared with the estimated U.S. average, FSD (Supervised) experiences 7 times fewer major collisions, 7 times fewer minor collisions and 5 times fewer off-highway collisions. These are Tesla’s claims from Tesla’s data, and the page itself headlines that its vehicles are engineered to be the safest in the world; that is a company statement, not an NHTSA, IIHS or Euro NCAP rating.
The methodology Tesla states matters when reading the figures:
- Collision definition. Tesla follows 49 C.F.R. 563.5: a collision is an event that deploys a non-reversible restraint or reaches a change in velocity of 8 km/h within 150 milliseconds. Deployment events are called major collisions and non-deployment events minor.
- Counting rule. A collision counts as FSD (Supervised) engaged if the system was active at any point in the five seconds before it.
- No fault assessment. Tesla says it does not attribute fault in the reported data.
- U.S. average is an estimate. Tesla built it from FHWA miles-traveled data and NHTSA’s CISS crash sampling system, and says the method involves assumptions that may skew the average higher or lower than presented.
- Scope. The report excludes China, updates quarterly on a rolling twelve-month basis, and does not report injuries, which Tesla says are inconsistently available to it.
In short, the report does not rank Tesla against another brand’s cars and does not replace a crash-test rating for the vehicle you are considering.
How to Check Any Car’s Safety, Step by Step
These steps work for any make, Tesla or not. Do them for the exact model year and trim you plan to drive.
- Write down the make, model, model year and body style. A name alone is not enough, as the Model 3 rows above show.
- Open the NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings search and search by year, make and model. Note Overall, frontal, side and rollover, and treat Not Rated as untested, not failed.
- Compare frontal and Overall scores only with cars in the same class and within 250 lbs. Side and rollover results can be compared across classes, per NHTSA.
- Open the IIHS Top Safety Pick list and check whether that model and year are on the list, then read the individual test ratings, including headlights.
- If the car is sold in Europe, look it up on euroncap.com by make and model and use the most recent rating, noting that ratings expire after up to six years.
- Use the NHTSA recall lookup with the VIN to see unrepaired recalls on a specific car.
- Treat a manufacturer’s own safety claims as claims, and ask what data and assumptions they rest on.
Safety Myths vs What the Sources Say
| Common belief | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| 5 stars means the safest car on the road | NHTSA says five stars means overall injury risk much less than average for that vehicle, and Overall scores compare only within a class and weight band |
| Not Rated means unsafe | NHTSA says Not Rated means the vehicle has not been tested for that crash condition, and all U.S. vehicles are certified to federal safety standards |
| An IIHS award covers every year of a model | IIHS awards are listed by model year, and some entries on its list apply only to vehicles built after a stated date |
| An old Euro NCAP star rating compares with a new one | Euro NCAP says comparing ratings from different years is meaningful only if the rating changes were minor, and the latest rating is the most relevant |
| Tesla’s report proves Tesla is safest | It is Tesla’s own data and its own comparison, with an estimated U.S. average and no fault assessment |
| One agency tests everything | NHTSA says it is the only organization that rates rollover resistance in addition to frontal and side crashworthiness; IIHS adds tests such as headlights |
What This Guide Does Not Cover
- Investigations, recalls or complaint details for any model; use the NHTSA recall lookup linked above for those.
- Insurance costs, repair costs and driver-assistance performance on the road.
- Legal or injury advice; this is general information, not professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tesla the safest car?
None of the rating bodies cited in this guide names one safest car. NHTSA, IIHS and Euro NCAP rate individual models by year and by test. IIHS lists the 2027 Tesla Model Y and the 2026-27 Cybertruck among its 2026 Top Safety Pick+ winners, and that same list includes models from many other makes.
Does every Tesla have a 5-star NHTSA rating?
No. In NHTSA’s data, several model years of the Model Y and the 2023 and 2026 Model 3 show 5 stars overall, but entries such as the 2024 and 2025 Model 3, the 2023-2026 Model S and the 2023-2026 Model X show Not Rated overall. NHTSA says Not Rated means the vehicle has not been tested for that crash condition.
Which Tesla models have an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award?
On IIHS’s 2026 Top Safety Pick list, the 2027 Tesla Model Y (midsize luxury SUV) and the 2026-27 Tesla Cybertruck (large pickup) are listed as Top Safety Pick+. The Model 3, Model S and Model X do not appear on that list, which does not by itself describe their individual test results.
How safe are Teslas in a head-on collision?
NHTSA’s frontal test drives a vehicle into a fixed barrier at 35 mph with an adult male dummy in the driver seat and a small adult female dummy in the front passenger seat. A test is a controlled scenario, not a prediction for any real crash, so check the specific model year in NHTSA’s search.
Is Tesla the most deadly car?
The NHTSA, IIHS and Euro NCAP pages cited here rate crash-test performance and equipment; they do not rank brands by fatalities. If you see a claim that a brand is the most deadly, look for the study behind it, the years it covers and whether it accounts for miles driven.
Does Tesla’s own safety report prove Teslas are the safest?
No. The report is Tesla’s own data and Tesla’s own comparisons. It states that its U.S. average is an estimate built from government sources with assumptions that may skew the figure higher or lower, and that it does not assess fault. It is not a crash-test rating from NHTSA, IIHS or Euro NCAP.
How do I check a specific Tesla for open recalls?
Use the NHTSA recall lookup with the 17-character VIN, found on the lower left of the windshield or on the registration card. NHTSA says the VIN search shows unrepaired recalls and does not show recalls that were already repaired.
Conclusion
Is Tesla the safest car? The official sources do not crown any single car. They show 5-star NHTSA results for several Tesla model years, Top Safety Pick+ status from IIHS for the 2027 Model Y and 2026-27 Cybertruck, some Not Rated entries, and Tesla’s own report that must be read as Tesla’s claim. Check the exact model year, use more than one source, and verify recalls by VIN.
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