Electric vehicles and plug-ins are
increasingly popular way to go green and
save on fuel. We put four models to the
test for safety. The two all electrics,
Tesla Model S and BMW i3, fell short
of our criteria for safety awards.
In contrast, the two plug-ins, Chevrolet Volt
and Toyota Prius Prime, earn our TOP SAFETY
PICK+ designation. To earn the 2017 TOP
SAFETY PICK+ award, a vehicle must earn
good ratings in all five of our
crashworthiness evaluations - the small
overlap front, the moderate overlap front,
the side, the roof strength and head
restraints evaluations - plus it must be
available with an advanced or superior
front crash prevention system and
acceptable- or good-rated headlights.
The Tesla Model S experienced problems in the
small overlap front crash test.
The safety belt allowed the dummy's torso to move
too far forward, and its head hit the
steering wheel hard through the airbag.
Tesla plans to make changes to the
seat belt to improve protection in small
overlap front crashes. When those changes are
in place, we'll run another test to find
out how well they've done.
The most powerful version of the Model S has
another problem. The P100D is rated
acceptable for roof strength, which is
important in rollover crashes. The rating
is based on how much weight the roof can
support. Even though all Model S cars
have the same roof structure, the P100D
weighs more so it only earns an acceptable rating.
The BMW i3 is rated
good in the small overlap front crash test.
However, it misses the TOP SAFETY
PICK+, because it's only rated acceptable
in our rear crash evaluation of the
seats and head restraints.
In contrast, the Toyota Prius Prime and the Chevrolet
Volt earn a TOP SAFETY PICK+.
The Prius Prime has an edge in that
state-of-the-art safety is standard equipment.
No need to check a box on the options
list to get a top-rated front crash
prevention system or decent headlights.
There's no reason the most efficient
vehicles can't be among the safest.
We hope that BMW and Tesla continue to
refine the designs of their electric
models to maximize safety.
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