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2d ago

IIHS Crash Tests Show Mixed EV Safety With No Top Safety Picks

Headlight shortcomings kept every model off IIHS Top Safety Pick lists under stricter criteria.

Tesla Cybertruck Crash Test
An electric vehicle is crashed in an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety test lab for a report released Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz, seen here, earned a "good" rating for the moderate overlap crash test. (IIHS)
An electric vehicle is crashed in an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety test lab for a report released Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. The Ford F-150 Lightning, seen here, earned a "poor" rating for the moderate overlap crash test. (IIHS)
An electric vehicle is crashed in an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety test lab for a report released Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. The BMW i4, seen here, earned a "good" rating for the moderate overlap crash test. (IIHS)

Overview

  • Four models earned Good ratings — BMW i4, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Tesla Cybertruck and Volkswagen ID. Buzz — while Tesla Model 3 was Acceptable, Nissan Ariya was Marginal and Ford F-150 Lightning was Poor.
  • Rear-seat protection drove key downgrades, with high belt forces elevating chest-injury risk in the Model 3 and severe back-seat injury readings plus belt excursion hurting the F-150 Lightning.
  • IIHS said the Cybertruck’s Good rating applies only to trucks built after April 2025, when Tesla revised the front underbody structure.
  • Pedestrian crash-avoidance performance was broadly strong, with BMW, Ford and Tesla models earning top marks and the Cybertruck avoiding every collision in IIHS scenarios.
  • Headlights were the weakest area, with five models rated Acceptable and Poor grades for the i4 and Cybertruck, which helped keep all seven from qualifying for IIHS awards.