2020 Tesla Model Y

midsize luxury SUV / 4-door SUV

Fully electric

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteriaRating
Small overlap front: driver-side
G
Small overlap front: passenger-side
G
Moderate overlap front: original test
G
Side: original test
G
Roof strength
G
Head restraints & seats
G

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteriaRating
LATCH ease of use
A

Other available safety features

  • Standard blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning & prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range 4-door 4wd

The Tesla Model Y was introduced in the 2020 model year.

Evaluation criteriaRating
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Evaluation criteriaMeasurement
Test ID CEN2108
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 1
Footrest (cm) 1
Left toepan (cm) 1
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 0
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 1
Upper dash (cm) 2
Lower instrument panel (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteriaMeasurement
Test ID CEN2108
Head
HIC-15 22
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Extension bending moment (Nm) 9
Maximum Nij 0.14
Chest maximum compression (mm) 17
Femur (kN)
Left 0.2
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.47
Right 0.61
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.7
Right 0.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 22
Right 20

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range 4-door 4wd

The Tesla Model Y was introduced in the 2020 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2021 Model Y conducted by Tesla.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Hip/thigh
G
Lower leg/foot
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Evaluation criteriaMeasurement
Test ID VTP2117
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 4
Footrest (cm) 3
Right toepan (cm) 2
Center toepan (cm) 2
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 0
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 2
Upper dash (cm) 2
Right lower dash (cm) 2

Passenger injury measures

Evaluation criteriaMeasurement
Test ID VTP2117
Head
HIC-15 39
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 11
Maximum Nij 0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm) 15
Femur (kN)
Left 0.5
Right 0.9
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.32
Right 0.49
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.7
Right 0.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 20
Right 17

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteriaMeasurement
Test ID VTP2117
Head
HIC-15 18
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 8
Maximum Nij 0.14
Chest maximum compression (mm) 17
Femur (kN)
Left 0.3
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.49
Right 0.27
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.3
Right 0.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 23
Right 30

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2020-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range 4-door 4wd

The Tesla Model Y was introduced in the 2020 model year.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Chest
G
Leg/foot, left
G
Leg/foot, right
G
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
G

Action shot taken during the moderate overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during rebound.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Evaluation criteriaMeasurement
Test ID CEF2119
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 1
Left (cm) 2
Center (cm) 3
Right (cm) 2
Brake pedal (cm) 2
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -2
Rearward (cm) -6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CEF2119
Head
HIC-15 107
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 8
Maximum Nij 0.17
Chest maximum compression (mm) 18
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.2
Femur force - right (kN) 0.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.16
Maximum tibia index - right 0.22
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.2
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 47
Right 44

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2020-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range 4-door 4wd

The Tesla Model Y was introduced in the 2020 model year.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
G
Structure and safety cage
G
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
G
Pelvis/leg
G
Driver head protection
G
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
G
Torso
G
Pelvis/leg
G
Rear passenger head protection
G

View of the vehicle just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES2112
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -27.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CES2112
Head HIC-15 120
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 30
Lateral force (kN) 0.9
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 36
Average deflection (mm) 31
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.91
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.52
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.0
Combined force (kN) 1.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 46
A-P moment (Nm) -26

Passenger injury measures

Evaluation criteria Measurement
Test ID CES2112
Head HIC-15 146
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 17
Lateral force (kN) 1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 24
Average deflection (mm) 15
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.48
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.25
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.3
Combined force (kN) 2.1
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 32
A-P moment (Nm) -47

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2020-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range 4-door 4wd

Overall evaluation
G
Curb weight4,342 lbs
Peak force19,188 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio4.42

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
G
Dynamic rating
G
Seat/head restraint geometry
G
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 25
Distance below top of head (mm) -8
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.1
Head contact time (ms) 56
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 0
Max neck tension (N) 179

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2020-25 models

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
A
Vehicle trim
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteriaRating
Overall evaluation
A
Vehicle trim
Seat type leather
1 2 3
Rating iconRating
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

PositionRating
1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 12
Clearance angle (degrees) 69
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 17
Clearance angle (degrees) 66
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 14
Clearance angle (degrees) 66
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 11
Clearance angle (degrees) 73
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation