If someone were to ask you to name two of the safest cars on the road today, there's a good chance you would answer Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. Years of advertising have burned it into our collective brains and testing proves it to be true in most cases. Recent independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) names a different brand as the best of the best, and there is a good chance you may never have heard of it before. The new record holder for the lowest likelihood of injury to occupants involved in a crash is the Tesla Model S. Typically, car companies proudly announce an overall 5-star safety rating and this is certainly something to be very proud of and strive for.
But the Tesla Model S was awarded a 5-star safety rating in every subcategory without exception. According to the report, only one percent of all vehicles tested achieve this rating. In fact, while the NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, the Tesla Model S scored a combined new record of 5.4 stars.The results are even more startling for the Model S as it also exceeded the safety scores for all SUV’s and minivans. This means front, side, rear and rollover protection is second to none.
One of the reasons why the Tesla Model S rates so high is due to the fact it does not have a large gasoline-powered engine block in front.
Taking advantage of its all-electric design, longer front crumple zones, without a heavy metal object between the front bumper and passenger compartment, allow the energy of a collision to be absorbed more efficiently by the body of the car. Side intrusion is improved with what the company states as, “nesting multiple deep aluminum extrusions in the side rail of the car that absorb the impact energy (a similar approach was used by the Apollo Lunar Lander) and transfer load to the rest of the vehicle.”
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