Tesla Model 3 Aces NHTSA Crash Tests
The Tesla Model 3 handled the U.S. federal government’s slew of crash tests like a champ. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the electric car five stars in all categories.
The five-star rating means the car showed a reduced risk of injury in a crash by one-third or more compared to a 2008 baseline for crash-test safety. The NHTSA tested the Model 3 in frontal and side impacts, and in a rollover crash. The first simulates a head-on crash with another vehicle moving at 35 mph, while the side-impact crash simulates an impact with another car moving at 38.5 mph with the Model 3 standing still. The test also looks at crashing into an object such as a tree or pole.
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The Model 3 earned five stars in each category, though more specific details were not provided when the NHTSA published the ratings.
The government test body has also tested the Tesla Model S and Model X electric cars; both also earned full five-star ratings. The independent crash-test body, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has not tested the Model 3 electric car yet, though it gave the Model S “Good” ratings aside from one “Acceptable” mark in the driver’s side front small-overlap crash protection test.
A version of this story originally appeared on Hybrid Cars.
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