ALBAWABA - The 2024 issue of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) Top Safety Pick awards has been published, and for the fourth time in a row the Tesla Model Y has topped the list with a Top Safety Pick+ award after receiving near perfect scores in crash tests.
Compared to 48 cars that qualified last year, 71 models made the list this year with 22 earning the Top Safety Pick+ award, down from 28 last year. The decline was partly due to a major revision in the award guidelines, particularly the introduction of a new side collision test that employs a stronger barrier moving at an increased speed.
In spite of these criteria adjustments, the Model Y received "good" scores in almost every crash reliability, crash avoidance, and mitigation test; the "acceptable" grade was only obtained in the "Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics" test. The electric SUV's LATCH child restraint system also received an "acceptable" grade for user-friendliness.
In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Model 3 was included in the Top Safety Pick+ honours. It did not, however, make the list for 2023 or 2024. According to Joe Young of the IIHS, "it actually comes down to missing tests," he told Teslarati, adding that The Model 3 has not undergone evaluation in most recent side crash test, which is necessary to qualify for this year's two prizes.
Alongside the Tesla Modely Y, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 was the only other Electric Vehicle to be awarded the Top Safety Pick +, with other EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Subaru Solterra, and Nissan Ariya have received the Top Safety Pick award.
