Earlier this week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the Tesla Model Y a 5-star overall safety rating.
When it was announced the NHTSA released some slow-motion footage of several of the crash tests. In a tweet last night from the official Tesla account, the automaker shared more amazing footage from the testing.
A rollover in a crash significantly increases the chances of injury. In a series of tests, the Model Y was able to maintain an upright position thanks to its low center of gravity.
According to the NHTSA, the Model Y has a 7.9% rollover risk, the lowest of any SUV ever recorded.
Along with the low center of gravity, the large crumple zones and rigid body structure also helped it achieve a perfect safety score. In an overhead view of a side impact, we can see the Model Y frame look almost undamaged when compared to a Lexus UX 200.
In a blog post accompanying the video, Tesla says the “optimized side structures enable Model Y to manage crash energy very efficiently, reducing accelerations on the vehicle and, more critically, its occupants.”
The Model Y’s perfect score across all tests made it the fourth Tesla vehicle to achieve such a ranking from the safety agency. Previously the Model S and Model X have also perfect safety ratings from numerous agencies, including the NHTSA. Shortly after the Model 3 was released it too received a perfect score from the NHTSA, earning the lowest probability of injury in any vehicle they had previously tested.
Here is the full video from Tesla.
Clear evidence of why Tesla vehicles are the safest on the roadpic.twitter.com/d1abfZEV3u
— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 #FSDBetaCanada (@DriveTeslaca) January 14, 2021