With the toughening of the IIHS tests, you'd expect fewer car models to qualify for a Top Safety Pick award, not more. However, only one Tesla model made the list, the Model Y. In contrast, the recently refreshed Model 3 is nowhere to be found. Here's what the Model Y got right and why its little brother is not yet worthy of a Top Safety Pick+ award.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has increased the requirements for the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards. This means that carmakers need to improve the safety of their vehicles, especially for the back seat passengers and pedestrian crash avoidance, to qualify. Despite the more stringent requirements, 71 models qualified for the 2024 awards, compared to only 48 in 2023. However, only 22 snatched the Top Safety Pick+ award, down from last year's 28.
Part of the reason for this drop was stricter criteria for the side crash test. This now uses a heavier barrier (4,200 pounds/1,905 kg) at a higher speed (37 mph/60 kph) to better match the weight of today's SUVs. The IIHS also raised the bar by requiring a "good" rating in the side crash test (previously, "acceptable" was okay for the lower tier award) for both the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards. Vehicles must also receive "acceptable" or "good" ratings in the revised pedestrian front crash prevention test.
This makes this year's winners stand out even more, offering the highest protection level for vehicle occupants and other vulnerable road users. So far, only four electric vehicles have earned the most coveted safety award: the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Genesis Electrified G80, Genesis GV60, and Tesla Model Y. Tesla's electric crossover scored nearly perfect "good" grades in all categories, with only an "acceptable" grade for the child seat anchors because they are too deep in the seat.
It's the fourth time the Tesla Model Y has been awarded a Top Safety Pick+ accolade. This confirms its status as one of the safest cars money can buy anywhere in the world. However, many people wonder why its little brother, the Model 3, was not included on this list, not even for the lesser Top Safety Pick award. With the refreshed model launched in January, Tesla made significant safety improvements, which should have made the Model 3 even safer. The electric sedan was awarded Top Safety Pick+ in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
According to clarifications IIHS made to Teslarati, Model 3 is not on the list because it misses some test results. The Model 3 has not been evaluated in the updated crash test and is also missing a rating in the updated moderate overlap crash test. This doesn't exclude the possibility that the refreshed Model 3 will get the Top Safety Pick+ award after completing the additional ratings later in the year.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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