The best safety rating of any car ever crash tested by the NHTSA has been recently mirrored by the 5-star rating the Euro NCAP gave the luxurious all-electric sedan. Not really a surprising result, but still, the safe Tesla Model S has something new to boast about.
We’re referring to the fact that through the Euro agency’s results, Tesla’s weapon of choice against the internal combustion engine has become the only vehicle this year to have achieved both a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and 5 stars in every NHTSA crash protection subcategory, including frontal impact.
That’s remarkable if you consider that only two other vehicles have earned the same recognition since 2011, the same year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration introduced its latest crash rating scheme. If you’re curious what kind of Model S the agency tested, that’s an 85 kWh variant.
It’s easy to laugh your socks off when you see the driver’s door handle momentarily pop out and go back in at the 15-second mark, but there is one undeniable fact the Euro NCAP crash test footage holds
The structural rigidity of this eco-friendly vehicle is unbelievable for a car crashed head-on into a solid barrier at 64 km/h (40 mph). Not only that, but the interior retains its original shape, offering good protection for both adult occupants and infants. Not even the A-pillar seems to be phased by the impact.
As a brief reminder, the Tesla Model S boasts with a body that's reinforced with aluminum extrusions at strategic locations around the car, with the roof able to withstand at least 4 Gs. But still, when you’re blazing through city traffic at over 100 mph (160 km/h), not even a Model S can offer enough safety.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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