Safety is the one non-negotiable factor when choosing an EV. There are other attributes we may look for, like range, power, space, price, or some combination of these. Safety is constant. Vehicle safety has come a long way, and a car with five stars a decade ago may not pass muster today.
Surviving a crash requires things like airbags and crumple zones, but avoiding an accident has become very important as well. There is also technology to make a crash less serious, like automatic emergency braking. Vehicle safety can be measured objectively, and the NHTSA and IIHS conduct rigorous tests to determine vehicle safety. All vehicle manufacturers list the safety features of their various models, but these do not mention events like recalls, or NHTSA investigations into the safety of specific features.
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To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Their work overlaps, but in a nutshell, the NHTSA does crash testing, while the IIHS has a broader role that includes crash tests and crash avoidance. The NHTSA rates in stars, while the IIHS has ratings such as Good, Top Safety Pick, and Top Safety Pick+. The Pick+ denotes the best in class. Bigger cars are usually safer in a crash, so a Plus+ for a compact car may not have the same value as a Good rating on a large car.
1
2024 Tesla Model Y
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
The Tesla Model Y is a small SUV based on the underpinnings of the Model 3. As a fastback SUV, it offers more space inside, including an optional third row of seats. It is a very safe car, due to its low center of gravity, advanced safety technology, and strong test results, which earned it the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and five-star ratings across all NHTSA crash tests.
- Recalls: Several software-related recalls, all fixed via OTA updates
- NHTSA Investigations: Multiple investigations into Autopilot incidents
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick+, NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving offer various levels of autonomous driving, but not full-self-driving capacity. The driver still has to exercise control over the vehicle. It does, however, qualify as a safety feature, as it helps reduce fatigue on long trips or during peak traffic on the highway. Other safety features that come standard on the Model Y include:
- Automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Collision Warning System
- Lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
- Adaptive cruise control with a lane-centering feature
2
2024 Rivian R1S
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: Not yet rated
- Frontal Crash: Not yet rated
- Side Crash: Not yet rated
- Rollover: Not yet rated
The Rivian R1S is a large, three-row SUV EV built on the same platform as the Rivian R1T pickup. This rugged, yet luxurious SUV has been significantly updated in 2025, to the extent that Rivian describes it as the next generation. The Rivian R1S comes in several trim levels, with performance that varies from high to stupendous. All four variants offer very good safety features and the crashworthiness one would expect from such a large and premium vehicle. It gets the IIHS Top Safety Pick designation.
- Recalls: Limited software and airbag-related recalls
- NHTSA Investigations: None reported
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick
The Rivian Autonomy Platform is found on all 2025 R1S variants. This involves 11 cameras, five radars, and AI predictive tech to see during poor weather and low light. The platform is backed up by a strong suite of driver assistance features, including:
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Forward Collision Warning with Auto Braking
- Blind-Spot Monitoring
- Driver Assistance with Hands-Free Mode
3
2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a sleek EV sedan that won World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle, and World Car Design in 2023. It comes in four trim levels that offer a selection of RWD or AWD, low running costs, very long range, snappy performance, and a full suite of features. But how safe is it? The Ioniq 6 range received a five-star crash test rating from the NHTSA and the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ as well.
- Recalls: Few minor recalls related to software updates
- NHTSA Investigations: None reported
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick+, NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
Hyundai is one of the leading carmakers focusing on collision avoidance in addition to mitigating the effects of a collision. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes with the full range of SmartSense features as optional, range-dependent, or standard. Standard features include:
- Highway Driving Assist
- Forward Collision Avoidance
- Automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Safe Exit Assist
- Smart Cruise Control with Machine Learning
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4
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
The Ford Mustang Mach-E was the first purpose-built electric-only vehicle by Ford. Although it carries the storied Mustang name, the Mach-E is an SUV, albeit a very sporty, low-slung car with great handling and performance. The Mustang Mach-E range moves quickly from the low premium to the luxury price brackets, but the car offers solid safety tech with a five-star NHTSA crash rating and IIHS Top Safety+ rating.
- Recalls: Battery contactor issues leading to power loss
- NHTSA Investigations: Some ongoing probes into braking system behavior
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick, NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
The Mustang Mach-E is available with a wide array of driver-assistance technology, including Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving tech, which, like that of Tesla, is not quite there yet, but does reduce driver fatigue. It also offers several other driver-assist features, including.
- Standard automated emergency braking with forward-collision warning
- Standard blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert
- Available adaptive cruise control with hands-free driving mode
5
2024 Volkswagen ID.4
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
The Volkswagen ID.4 is an affordable electric SUV. It is available in three trim levels, offering RWD and AWD, two battery options, and a range of performance options. As one of the older current-generation EV SUVs, the ID.4 is seen as a car that is not the best at anything, but very good at everything. One area it does excel is safety, with five stars from NHTSA and IIHS Top Safety Pick.
- Recalls: Some software-related issues and minor safety updates
- NHTSA Investigations: None reported
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick+, NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
The Volkswagen ID.4 is solidly built, with all the excellent crash-mitigation features expected from VW, as well as a comprehensive suite of driver assist and collision avoidance technology, including:
- Travel Assist for Semi-Autonomous Driving
- Emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
- Adaptive cruise control
- Park Distance Control
6
2024 Tesla Model 3
IIHS Rating: “Good” Overall Safety
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
The Tesla Model 3 is a small EV sedan first launched in 2017 and often updated to keep the model fresh. The 2025 Model gets improved suspension, as well as more luxury features. Like its sibling Model Y, the Model 3 is a very safe car, getting five stars from NHTSA, and an overall Good rating from the IIHS. A good rating is just that: Good. The Top Safety Pick is only awarded to the very best vehicles in each category, and not every vehicle can be the very best.
- Recalls: Multiple OTA software recalls related to Autopilot
- NHTSA Investigations: Ongoing probes into automated driving functions
- Awards: NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
As a solidly built, low-center-of-gravity car, the Model 3 has been around long enough for any possible safety issues to be sorted. There is the same proviso around what exactly the Autopilot can and cannot do, but as a driver’s aid, it enhances the safety of the vehicle. Other standard driver assistance features include:
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Collision Avoidance Assist
- Lane Departure Warning
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7
2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge
IIHS Rating: “Good” Overall Safety
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★
Volvo calls the XC40 Recharge an SUV, but the world sees an EV version of the old-school Volvo box-on-wheel wagons in which you can load almost anything. The styling is modern, though, and up to 402 hp and nearly 300 miles of range make this a very compelling SUV. The Volvo XC40 Recharge features a high-strength safety cage and advanced driver assistance features. Although the EV Recharge was not crash-tested by the NHTSA, the ICE versions of the XC40 were and received an overall five stars for every year model tested. The Good overall safety rating from IIHS further underpins Volvo’s reputation as one of the safest car brands in the world.
- Recalls: Few software and airbag-related recalls
- NHTSA Investigations: None reported
- Awards: IIHS “Good” Scoring, NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
Volvo has long been synonymous with car safety, and the XC40 Recharge meets this very high standard. From its superb build quality, and under-the-skin safety engineering, to its wide array of driver assist and safety features, the Volvo XC40 Recharge offers as standard:
- Volvo Pilot Assist for Semi-Autonomous Driving
- Intersection Collision Mitigation
- Run-Off Road Protection
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Automated emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
- Lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
8
2024 Nissan Ariya
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
Nissan was the pioneer of the affordable EV with the Leaf, but fans had to wait until 2023 for the carmaker to enter the popular EV SUV segment with the Ariya. This is a compact electric crossover with a very sharp design and a well-thought-out interior. The Nissan Ariya offers several options, with up to 389 hp and a 300-mile range available, albeit at a steep premium price. The Ariya is a very safe car, with a Top Safety Pick from IIHS and five stars from NHTSA.
- Recalls: Few software-related recalls
- NHTSA Investigations: None reported
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick, NHTSA 5-Star Overall Rating
The Ariya offers the ProPilot 2.0, Nissan’s second-gen driver-assistance technology, as an option. ProPilot 2.0 lets the driver take their hands off the wheel in certain cases, and this actually works really well. The Nissan Ariya offers several driver-assist safety features as standard, including:
- Automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
- Intelligent Forward Collision Warning
- Rear Automatic Braking
- Traffic Sign Recognition
9
2024 Subaru Solterra
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: ★★★★★
- Frontal Crash: ★★★★★
- Side Crash: ★★★★★
- Rollover: ★★★★★
The Subaru Solterra is the brand’s first EV. It is a compact crossover developed in partnership with Toyota, which produced a very similar bZ4x. The Solterra has dual motors and all-wheel-drive as standard. The Solterra is a nicely spacious car in a pleasantly nimble, compact package that makes it fun to drive in the city, while it is also quite capable on the dirt. While it does not shoot the lights out in terms of performance or range, the Solterra is a thoroughly safe car. With its IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and five stars from the NHTSA, it qualifies as an EV with top safety.
- Recalls: Minor software-related updates
- NHTSA Investigations: None reported
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick+, 5-Star NHTSA Rating
As can be expected from Subaru, the Solterra is full of driver-assist safety tech as standard, including cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, and a driver distraction/alert monitor. Other safety features standard on the range are:
- Forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
- Lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist
- Adaptive cruise control with a low-speed hands-free driving mode
- Safe exit assist
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10
2024 Rivian R1T
IIHS Rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA Crash Ratings
- Overall Rating: Not yet rated
- Frontal Crash: Not yet rated
- Side Crash: Not yet rated
- Rollover: Not yet rated
The Rivian R1T is the truck option of the brilliant R1S SUV. It offers the same blend of mind-blowing power (up to 1025 hp, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds), a range of over 400 miles, and genuine off-road capability. To these astonishing abilities are added genuine truck practicality – for work or play – and the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. Like its SUV sibling, the R1T has not yet been tested by the NHTSA, but the IIHS results normally track the same results as its federal counterpart.
- Recalls: None reported for 2024 model
- NHTSA Investigations: None
- Awards: IIHS Top Safety Pick+ (2024)
The Rivian R1T has the same multi-camera and radar setup with AI that helps the R1S see in the dark. As a premium truck, the Rivian offers standard features which would have been optional on most other brands. These include:
- Rivian Driver+ (Advanced Driver Assistance System)
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Lane Keep Assist
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Surround-View Camera System
- Front and Side Collision Warning
