India-bound Tesla’s 2021 Model Y SUV Receives 5 Star Crash Test Rating

Tesla’s Model Y has a rollover risk of only 7.9 percent, which is the least of any SUV tested by the NHTSA in the US till date

• The 2021 Tesla Model Y was tested by the NHTSA and not the Global NCAP.

• NHTSA is the highest governing body in the US when it comes to vehicle standards and regulations.

• All variants of the Model Y have been given the same rating, except for the rollover rating of the RWD version, which was not provided.

• Model Y’s body is designed to greatly absorb impacts and divert them away from the passenger cabin.

• Tesla will be entering the Indian market soon, but possibly with the Model 3 sedan instead of the Model Y. 

American electric carmaker Tesla has added another feather to its cap with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) awarding its 2021 Model Y SUV a perfect five star safety rating. The NHTSA is the premier agency in the US that governs vehicle standards and awards crash test ratings to the different vehicles on sale in the US market.

The safety rating is based on the performance of the vehicle in a frontal crash test, side crash test, a rollover test, and the safety features present on board. Another interesting thing to note here is that the Model Y’s safety rating is applicable across all variants of the SUV. That is unlike the common Global NCAP crash tests, which often test a particular variant of a car.

NHTSA tested the AWD and the RWD version of the Model Y, along with the five- and seven-seater versions of both. In case of the RWD version, the NHTSA chose not to reveal, or conduct, a rollover test, which meant the RWD version didn’t receive an overall rating. It, however, matched the AWD Model Y in all the other safety tests conducted.

Coming to what makes the Model Y so safe, the absence of an engine in the front allowed the engineers to make more efficient use of the crumple zone in the front. While the whole body is designed to spread the energy in an accident to dissipate it more efficiently, all of these forces are targeted away from the passenger cabin, allowing it to retain its structure quite well. 

Even in the case of a rollover (the Model Y has the best chances at avoiding a rollover among all other SUVs sold in the US), the glass roof of the Model Y is designed to spread the force of the impact throughout the entire roof. This reduces or totally absorbs the energy that might have reached the passenger cell.

Tesla recently began the process of entering the Indian market by setting up an R&D wing in Bengaluru. While we don’t expect the Model Y to be its first offering for India, all of Tesla’s models have similar safety ratings and features. Thus, the Model 3 sedan, which is expected to be the first offering from Tesla in India, should offer similar levels of safety.