Government says there is no "safest" car after Tesla claims to have "best security" ever tested

Tesla has released CAD animations of model 3 crash tests to illustrate its analysis.
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The National Highway Safety Authority (NHTSA) rejects Tesla's suggestion that Model 3 is the safest car it has ever been tested.

The electric sedan received the agency's highest five-star rating in September, scoring highest in all categories, including rollover resistance. This puts it in the same position as the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, while beating the battery-powered Chevrolet Bolt, which received an overall rating of five stars but only got four stars in front impact tests.

This week, however, Tesla released an in-depth analysis of publicly available NHTSA crash test data, which shows that Model 3 has the lowest probability of injury for all cars, with Tesla S and X models being ranked second. and third.

"… We designed the Model 3 to be the safest car ever built, and now not only has Model 3 achieved the perfect 5-star safety rating in all categories and subcategories. , but NHTSA's tests also showed the lowest probability the security agency has ever tested, "the blog said.

This prompted NHTSA to issue a statement clarifying its position on security claims:

"The results of these three crash tests and the rollover resistance ratings are weighted and combined in an overall safety assessment. A 5 star rating is the highest security rating that a vehicle can achieve. NHTSA does not distinguish between safety performance and performance beyond this qualification. There is therefore no "safest" vehicle among vehicles obtaining a 5-star rating. "

This is not the first time that the automaker has embarrassed the federal agency. Using a similar data analysis in 2013, Tesla claimed that the Model S had actually got 5.4 stars, which resulted in a warning from the NHTSA and new rules preventing automakers from promoting their cars with a result superior to five stars.

The agency has not indicated its intention to take action against Tesla beyond his statement.

NHTSA is currently considering modifying its five-star crash assessment program and said it needed to "be modernized to encourage the voluntary adoption of safety features," according to Reuters.

The Independent Insurance Institute for Road Safety has not yet released the results of its crash tests for Model 3.