NHTSA gives the X perfect scores across all three categories.
The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was well and truly chuffed with the Tesla Model X, giving the SUV its highest-ever rating for an SUV to date. The biggest Tesla on sale managed to get five out of five stars in every category evaluated by the Administration.
In the front, side, and rollover crash test, the Model X managed to get perfect scores, which apply to all variants of the X from the 60D up to the P100D. While the NHTSA is clearly besotted with the Model X, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has yet to rate the big electric SUV, which is why it hasn’t yet garnered a ‘Top Safety Pick’ or ‘Top Safety Pick Plus’ badge too.
The carmaker immediately took to its website to celebrate the rating, saying:
"More than just resulting in a five-star rating, the data from NHTSA's testing shows that Model X has the lowest probability of injury of any SUV it has ever tested. In fact, of all the cars NHTSA has every tested, Model X's overall probability of injury was second only to [the] Model S.” – Tesla Inc.
The exceptional safety rating is likely due to the unique architecture that Tesla adopts, with the battery pack mounted low in the floor, with the pack itself “fortified” for strength as well as a lower centre of gravity. Tesla boasts that 93% of Model X occupants involved in a crash can walk away without serious injury.
Read our review of the Tesla Model X, and for more information on Tesla, check out our Showroom.
