December 23rd 2021
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has honoured the Top Safety Pick+ award to the Tesla Model Y. It is the second vehicle from Tesla that achieved IIHS’ top safety rating after the 2019-2020 Tesla Model 3. Besides, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has also awarded the Model Y a five-star ranking.
To get the Top Safety Pick+ award, IIHS wants a vehicle to pass three major test suites. Firstly, it must have achieved the best ‘Good’ rank in various crash examinations such as driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength, and head restraint tests.
Secondly, it should get the Advanced or Superior score for available front crash prevention. It comprises vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian examination. The Model Y received the Superior rating, though the car employs only a camera-only system.
Thirdly, the car’s headlights must receive the Acceptable or Good rating while it having them as a standard facility. The vehicles that don’t pass this third test get the Top Safety Pick award, which is the second-best rating a vehicle can get from the IIHS.
The IIHS used various 2021 Model Y cars to undergo six crashworthiness examinations. These encompassed small-overlap front (driver and passenger side), moderate overlap front, original side test, roof strength, and head restraints and seats.
While performing the small overlap front test, they found that the driver’s-seat crash examination mockup’s location signified “the driver’s survival space was maintained very well.” They also witnessed that the frontal and side curtain airbags “worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury” and that “the driver’s space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy’s legs and feet was low.”
In the moderate overlap front crash trial, they found the mockup’s head striking the side curtain airbag while returning. However, IIHS stated that generally, “the driver’s survival space was maintained very well.”
Approximately 80 vehicles from the 2021-2022 model year received the Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS in 2021. If you are not familiar, you should know that Tesla doesn’t use model years for its vehicles rather rolls over-the-air updates. Nevertheless, the IIHS considered the Model Y from the 2021-2022 model. This rating is valid for any Model Y that the company produced after April 2021.
Apart from the Model Y, IIHS also awarded 10 other mid-size luxury cars the Top Safety Pick+ rating. These include three variants of the Volvo V60, the Lexus IS, and the Acura TLX.
Source and Images: CarandDriver