At the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s research center, many vehicles were crashed in the name of informing people in the market for a new car. For this endeavor, the government is not paying the IIHS a single penny. Instead, the IIHS relies on what insurance companies are able to pony up for this great cause.
Photo: Bill Westrate on Twitter
Because the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety relies on a significantly lower budget than the NHTSA, it’s not too often the IIHS gets to test expensive cars. But against all the odds, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has managed to buy a handful of facelifted Tesla Model S sedans.
Even though there’s no safety rating or official crash test video available at the present moment, the power of social media has offered us with a little teaser. Thanks to multiple Twitter users, we now know how the redesigned Tesla Model S fares when it’s driven at 40 mph toward a 5-foot tall barrier.
As you can see from the footage and stills, the Tesla Model S is a tough cookie to crack in the most literal sense of the phrasing. From the outside, it seems to me that the car’s safety cage was maintained well, with minimal warping of the A-pillar. The single picture we found on Twitter showing the interior reveals that all the airbags have protected the crash test dummy in the driver's seat. Then again, kinematics can’t be observed from a mere photo.
When all is said and done, it looks to me as if the 2017 Tesla Model S deserves to be rated Top Safety Pick+. To earn the plus, a vehicle needs to be equipped with active safety in the form of forward collision prevention and mitigation, as well as automatic emergency braking. Considering that the Model S has something called Autopilot, my bet goes on a Top Safety Pick+.
Expect the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to officially reveal how crashworthy the 2017 Tesla Model S electric sedan as soon as Monday.
The IIHS has yet to publish the results for the Model S.
The 2017 Model S failed to score a Top Safety Pick together with the BMW i3.
Even though there’s no safety rating or official crash test video available at the present moment, the power of social media has offered us with a little teaser. Thanks to multiple Twitter users, we now know how the redesigned Tesla Model S fares when it’s driven at 40 mph toward a 5-foot tall barrier.
As you can see from the footage and stills, the Tesla Model S is a tough cookie to crack in the most literal sense of the phrasing. From the outside, it seems to me that the car’s safety cage was maintained well, with minimal warping of the A-pillar. The single picture we found on Twitter showing the interior reveals that all the airbags have protected the crash test dummy in the driver's seat. Then again, kinematics can’t be observed from a mere photo.
When all is said and done, it looks to me as if the 2017 Tesla Model S deserves to be rated Top Safety Pick+. To earn the plus, a vehicle needs to be equipped with active safety in the form of forward collision prevention and mitigation, as well as automatic emergency braking. Considering that the Model S has something called Autopilot, my bet goes on a Top Safety Pick+.
Expect the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to officially reveal how crashworthy the 2017 Tesla Model S electric sedan as soon as Monday.
LATER EDIT (January 2017)
The IIHS has yet to publish the results for the Model S.
UPDATE (February 2017)
The 2017 Model S failed to score a Top Safety Pick together with the BMW i3.
Model S in slow motion...enjoy!@AmFamJack @Neil_Onsdorff @IIHS_autosafety pic.twitter.com/8TzDkR2VuY
— Bill Westrate (@WWestrate) September 15, 2016
Third times the charm! I hope. @AmFamJack @IIHS_autosafety @Neil_Onsdorff pic.twitter.com/OG0zMsTTXH
— Bill Westrate (@WWestrate) September 15, 2016
Thought provoking day w/@IIHS_autosafety testing autopilot in this...plus gorilla glass, night vision, headlights... pic.twitter.com/TY4r6BVRgU
— Bill Westrate (@WWestrate) September 16, 2016
Tesla S crash test today at IIHS. Passenger compartment looks....really good. pic.twitter.com/LuUEUR4UWd
— Jack Salzwedel (@AmFamJack) September 15, 2016
Looks solid! #iihs pic.twitter.com/M877drJkkD
— Jack Salzwedel (@AmFamJack) September 15, 2016
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