Tesla Model S and Y Achieve Record High EuroNCAP Safety Scores

Today, EuroNCAP announces the winners from 2022, the safety organisation’s busiest-ever year. These are the cars that achieved the highest overall scores, based on their results for Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable User Protection and Safety Assist technologies. For the very first time, this list includes two cars from Tesla: the Model S and the Model Y.

The press release from EuroNCAP states that “… for the very first time, this list includes two cars from Tesla and two Chinese newcomers to the European market. These results underline the importance of the Euro NCAP five-star rating for establishing safety, credibility, and quality in the European market for vehicle manufacturers in Europe, but also beyond Europe’s borders “.

Tesla Model S wins the best-in-class award in the Executive Car category; and Tesla Model Y in the Small Off-Roader category. Also, according to EuroNCAP, both Tesla models earned the highest overall safety score among all vehicles tested in 2022: the two vehicles earned a full 5-star rating from the European safety agency, with the Model S scoring 94% for adult occupant protection, 91% for child occupant protection, 85% for Pedestrian protection, and 98% for safety assist features. As a refresher, the Tesla Model S is a battery-powered liftback car serving as the flagship model of Tesla, Inc. The Model S features a dual-motor, all-wheel drive layout, although earlier versions featured a rear-motor and rear-wheel drive layout.

The Model Y in turn earned a slightly higher rating of 97% for adult occupant protection, and still impressive scores of 87% and 82% for child occupant protection and Pedestrian protection, respectively; apart from an amazing 98% in the Safety Assit category. Let us recall that the Tesla Model Y is a battery electric compact crossover manufactured by Tesla, Inc.; unveiled in March 2019, it started production at its Fremont plant in January 2020, and started deliveries on March 13, 2020.

The Model Y is based on the Model 3 sedan platform. It shares an estimated 75 percent of its parts with the Tesla Model 3, which includes a similar interior and exterior design and electric powertrain. The Model Y fills a smaller and less expensive segment than the mid-sized Tesla Model X. Like the Model X, the Model Y offers optional third-row seats for a seven-passenger seating capacity.

Going back to the EuroNCAP tests, these results affirm that Tesla is focused on safety engineering and continues to deliver innovative products. It’s an honour for the Austin company to be recognized by an organization as well respected as EuroNCAP, by all means; and it goes to show that Tesla continues to set a benchmark for safety in the automotive industry.

According to EuroNCAP, “… Tesla has made a huge impact on the European car market due to its design and ethos. The company has also been determined to make a name for its brand in safety performance. Tesla Model S and Tesla Model Y are both high achievers in Adult Occupant Protection and both vehicles achieved the highest score of 98% in Safety Assist of all the vehicles in this list. Tesla Model S is also the best in class achiever in the Pure Electric category”.

The success of the Tesla Model S and Model Y demonstrate that electric vehicles can be more than just efficient modes of transportation – they can be extremely safe too. EuroNCAP’s results clearly show that Tesla is leading the way in terms of safety, setting a benchmark that other car manufacturers should strive to achieve.

Source: EuroNCAP

All images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.