Tesla Model Y, Rivian RIT Pickup Truck Earn Top Safety Ratings In IIHS 2023 Study: This US Legacy Automaker's Vehicles Fall Short

Tesla, Inc.’s TSLA Model Y has earned a distinction, premised on its safety traits.

What Happened: Tesla’s Model Y qualified as “Top Safety Pick+” in the mid-size luxury SUV category based on evaluation by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, an independent non-profit scientific and educational organization.

IIHS announced multiple models as “Top Safety Picks” as well as “Top Safety Picks” under different vehicle categories, including small cars, midsize cars, midsize luxury cars, large luxury cars, small SUVs, midsize SUVs, midsize luxury SUVs, minivans and large pickup trucks.

“These awards identify the best vehicle choices for safety within size categories during a given year,” IIHS said in a statement.

See also: Best Electric Vehicles

This organization said this year it has tightened the requirements for qualifying, demanding better side crash protection and improved pedestrian crash prevention system and eliminating subpar headlights from the field of qualifying vehicles. The number of vehicles that qualified dropped from 101 vehicles in 2022 to 48 models this year.

“The number of winners is smaller this year because we’re challenging automakers to build on the safety gains they’ve already achieved,” said IIHS President David Harkey.

“These models are true standouts in both crashworthiness and crash prevention.”

Rivian Makes Cut: Rivian Automotive, Inc.’s RIVN R1T pickup truck was chosen as a “Top Safety Pick+” in the large pickup truck category.

The winners’ list was largely dominated by Japanese automakers, with only a couple of Ford Motor Co. F and its subsidiary Lincoln’s vehicles earning the distinction. General Motors Corp. GM vehicles, however, did not make the cut.

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