NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) recently released the result of its crash testing procedures for the Model 3 Tesla rear-wheel drive sedan and the vehicle went for a perfect score of 5 stars in all categories.
Credit: CrashNet1 / YouTube
The tests cover various types of possible crashes – frontal, side and rollover, and it seems like the Model 3 aced all of them, including subcategories like side barrier and pole crashes.
This is big because the Mercedes C-Class 4-door sedan, which is very similar to the Model 3 in both size and weight, got only 4 stars for front passenger and rollover protection, while the BMW 3 Series got a 4 star for just driving protection.
We don’t have the full stats from NHTSA but Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated he believed the Model 3 to be the ‘safest car ever tested‘.
Even so, the Model 3 is not the only vehicle that earned thie highest rating – there are a few other 2018 cars that are on par, like the Toyota Camry four-door hybrid and the Subaru Legacy.
Credit: CrashNet1 / YouTube
The truth is, electric cars are safer – by definition, they don’t have a combustion engine in front, which allowed the engineers more room to work on building a more robust structure that can absorb shock much better.
Electric cars that have a solid design (like the Model 3) also have a well-balanced center of gravity thanks to the battery, which is the heaviest part of the car. It is placed low in the chassis, barely a few inches from the road, which makes a rollover almost impossible during a crash.
So, the Model 3 is expensive, but would you be rather be in one if you crash or in something almost as good?
Follow TechTheLead on Google News to get the news first.
