As more and more people are buying Teslas, we explore the electric car company’s interesting and controversial safety history.
What do you think of when you hear the word Tesla?
Some people think of the famous inventor Nikola Tesla, and others, endless YouTube videos of P100Ds beating Lamborghini Aventadors and other supercars at the drag strip. A few may initially think of a hit-making hair metal band from the ‘80s/early-’90s. Yet nowadays, most likely think of cars with giant screens and silly fart sounds when you indicate.
It is also very easy to think of Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk and the many interesting things he has said and done.
However, do you think of the word safety? To get further insight, we need to answer a few questions.
Are Teslas Safe Cars?
Are Tesla’s popular EVs the safest cars in the world? The answer is no, not 100 percent. They certainly did not start that way. The California-based carmaker did not always have the squeaky-clean record in the safety department as they have had in the last few years.
In fact, Teslas of old had a very serious problem, one that, short of the early Ferrari 458s and some modern McLarens, no expensive car being mass-produced should have. They had a habit of catching on fire.
Specifically, it happened with older Model S and X units. These rare but very serious incidents were made worse due to the relationship between the chemicals and the lithium-ion battery systems powering the cars.
According to a study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “…the duration and intensity of the fires, fueled by chemicals and the extreme heat buildup in lithium-ion battery systems, can make the fires in electric cars harder to put out.”
For Tesla specifically, and more tragically so for the owners who had to experience it, the cars had another issue that, proverbially speaking, poured accelerant onto the fire that was already a serious issue.
The early Tesla cars had fancy and over-the-top retracting door handles. During the fires, these handles reportedly malfunctioned and would make the jobs of the emergency crews much more difficult.
In fact, in two gruesome cases in the United States, this caused the death of two people and made worldwide headlines. One of these owners was a man named Omar Awan, who was killed in 2019. According to the Washington Post, Awan was trapped inside his burning Model S because the door handles malfunctioned and did not extend.
Though this should not be taken lightly, things have gotten much better. This brings us to the next question.
Where Does Tesla Rank in Safety?
If you were hoping to hear that Tesla has been flawlessly dominating the safety ratings for the last nine years, we are sorry to disappoint. Nevertheless, as the years have gone by, the safety of the automaker’s vehicles has been getting better and better.
Tesla received its first safety award from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety in late 2019. The car receiving this award was the Model 3. However, to get a clearer idea of how the overall brand ranks, let us look at how each model ranked over the last five years.
Tesla Model 3
As mentioned previously, the Model 3 got Tesla’s first IIHS Top Safety+ award in 2019, but how did it do in previous years?
The Model 3 was first introduced in 2017, and according to the IIHS, its debut model year scored very well, receiving a “Good” in all major categories (IIHS’s scoring key ranges from Poor to Good, as well as Basic to Superior). The only category it did not receive a “Good” rating is headlights, which received an “Average.”
In the following units of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, the Model 3 matched its debut year, continuing to score “Good” in all major categories (excluding child seat anchors, which are only rated from 2019 to 2021.) Additionally, it received the IIHS Top Safety+ award for the 2020 and 2021 cars.
The data speaks for itself. The Model 3 is an impressive car that is very safe.
Tesla Model S
The Model S, unlike its baby sibling, did not hit the ground running to the top of the IIHS safety ratings. The IIHS data says that while the Model 3 was scoring “Good” in all categories except headlights, the Model S from 2016 to January 2017 fell short in the Small Overlap: Front Driver’s Side area, scoring an “Average” on the overall evaluation.
Additionally, the S fell even shorter in the headlight category than the Model 3. The flagship sedan scored a range of “Marginal” to “Poor,” depending on the specific trim level. It also scored a “Mediocre” in the child seat anchor category. Except for those shortcomings, it scored “Good” in the rest of the major categories.
From January 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, according to the IIHS, the Model S continued to score well in all the major categories except for headlights, scoring “Poor” in that respective category every year.
Despite the S’ shortcomings in the headlight category and the Small Overlap: Front Driver’s Side in the 2016 and 2017 cars, and the “Average” child seat anchor score, the Model S is a safe car, but it falls marginally short in a couple of areas compared to its baby brother. If that doesn’t bother you and you want the extra space, then go for it and enjoy your Model S.
Tesla Model X
Tesla’s challenger into the ongoing battle of SUVs made history. The Model X became the first SUV to ever score a perfect five-star overall safety rating in the NHTSA’s tests.
According to the NHTSA, they continued these impressive results as the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 models all matched the 2017’s success in the tests. The Model X is an impressive and very safe SUV.
Tesla Model Y
The newest member of the Tesla model range debuted in 2020. The NHTSA says that the Model Y scored excellently, receiving a 5-star rating, with the 2021 car matching the 5-star score respectively.
This medium-sized SUV is very safe and is a good compromise between the larger Model X and the smaller but lower Model S.
Conclusion: Are Tesla’s Safe?
Although Tesla has an interesting and controversial safety history, the company’s cars of recent years are objectively safe. The very impressive crash-test results of recent model years speak for themselves and balance out the fire problems of the past.
If you are looking to buy a Tesla, you will likely be satisfied and kept safe with whatever model you choose, whether it’s the 3, S, Y, or X. Just remember to not go to sleep with autopilot on a busy and fast highway, because that is a whole other article on safety.
If you are looking to buy a used Tesla, or any used car, a great place to do so is on our website, Vehicle History.
Photos: Tesla
