Tesla Model 3 is entering the European market, but not without being rated first by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). After the electric vehicle was put through a series of rigorous tests, it scored the highest rating possible: 5 stars.
Watch the video of a Tesla Model 3 get crash-tested to smithereens:
Euro NCAP measures four areas: the safety of front and backseat passengers (including children), how it treats vulnerable road users and safety assist.
Tesla vehicles have always had a very good safety rating, mostly because engineers have designed the passenger cell incredibly strong and safe but also the location of the battery gives vehicles a low center of gravity, improving handling and reducing the chance of a rollover.
The Model 3 earned a 96% score for how it protects adults and 86% for crash test performance in keeping children safe. It scored 74% for how the vehicle handles vulnerable road users. That vulnerable road users score is lower than some of the other 5-star-rated vehicles like the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE, Mercedes-Benz B-Class and the Skoda Scala.
Euro NCAP did not test Autopilot, however, the advanced driver assistance system with adaptive cruise control.
During the safety assist test, though, the assessment took into account the automatic emergency braking system (AEB). The Tesla Model 3 earned the highest safety assist score ever awarded by Euro NCAP under its newer 2018-2019 testing protocols.
Tesla improved the AEB system to its Model S, Model X and Model 3 built since October 2016 through a cloud software update made earlier this year. The company also introduced other new features in May, including lane departure avoidance and emergency lane departure avoidance.
According to Tesla, the company has collected data from the sensor suite of every vehicle made since October 2016, along with inputs from drivers, to get a better grasp of how drivers behave behind the wheel. The data was then used to get more accurate prediction models which allow the features to perform better and avoid accidents.
Other vehicles also earned a 5-star rating from NCAP in 2019 like Audi e-Tron, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen T-Cross, Mazda 3, Kia Ceed and Lexus UX.
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