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Tesla Model X officially becomes highest safety rated SUV (by significant margin) with 5-star rating in every safety category

Tesla did it again with the Model X. NHTSA confirmed today that after crash testing Tesla’s all-electric SUV, it received a 5-star rating in every safety category – making it the highest safety rated SUV.

Of all the vehicles tested by NHTSA, only the Tesla Model S bested the Model X for the lowest probability of injury in a crash.

Tesla shared the results in a blog post:

“We engineered Model X to be the safest SUV ever, and today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that after conducting independent testing, it has awarded Model X a 5-star safety rating in every category and sub-category, making it the first SUV ever to earn the 5-star rating across the board. More than just resulting in a 5-star rating, the data from NHTSA’s testing shows that Model X has the lowest probability of injury of any SUV it has ever tested. In fact, of all the cars NHTSA has ever tested, Model X’s overall probability of injury was second only to Model S.”

Last night, we shared the crash test videos of NHTSA’s tests, which were performed earlier this year.

Tesla explains some of the designs features of the Model X that help with safety:

“Model X performs so much better in a crash than gas-powered SUVs because of its all-electric architecture and powertrain design. The rigid, fortified battery pack that powers Model X is mounted beneath the floor of the vehicle creating a center of gravity so low that Model X has the lowest rollover probability of any SUV on the road. No other SUV has ever come close to meeting and exceeding this rollover requirement.”

NTHSA gave the Model X a rolling resistance of 9.30% and couldn’t tip it in its dynamic test – just like Tesla claimed in they couldn’t “flip” the Model X during internal crash testing.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is deservedly proud of the accomplishment:

Tesla continues in the blog post:

“NHTSA’s tests assess both the structure of the vehicle, which must minimize intrusion into the cabin and absorb as much energy as possible, and also the seatbelt and airbag restraint system, which must maximize injury mitigation in the event of a crash. Among the nine subcategories rated by NHTSA, including frontal impact, side impact, and pole impact tests conducted on both the driver and passenger side as well as the rollover test, Model X achieved 5-stars in every category and sub-category. That means that in the event of a serious crash, Model X occupants have an overall 93% probability of walking away without a serious injury – a testament to our commitment to building the safest cars on today’s roads.”

Here are the results in every category and sub-category:

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

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