Safety, the eternal buzzword in the car industry, especially when it comes to EVs. You’d think with all these ratings and recalls, we’d be driving in a world where even your dog could handle an accident. But no, it’s a continuous saga of ‘five stars’ and ‘Top Safety Pick+’ that have us all scratching our heads. I mean, sure, the Tesla Model Y is a ‘safe’ car with ‘five stars across all NHTSA crash tests.’ But what about the ‘multiple software-related recalls, all fixed via OTA updates’? And let’s not forget ‘multiple investigations into Autopilot incidents’. Safety indeed! Meanwhile, the Rivian R1S boasts ‘very good safety features and crashworthiness’, yet we’re still waiting on NHTSA crash ratings. I guess that’s what they mean by ‘future-proofing’—it’s not about the present, it’s about the potential for future safety, right? As for the Hyundai Ioniq 6, it’s got ‘World Car of the Year’ and ‘World Electric Vehicle’ awards, but can it handle a real-world crash? Let’s just hope we don’t find out. Ford Mustang Mach-E, with its ‘very sporty, low-slung car’, is a ‘solid safety tech’ package with a ‘five-star NHTSA crash rating.’ But what if the ‘BlueCruise hands-free driving tech’ decides to take a nap while you’re driving? Volkswagen ID.4, the ‘affordable electric SUV’ that’s ‘not the best at anything, but very good at everything,’ has ‘five stars from NHTSA and IIHS Top Safety Pick.’ That’s the kind of balanced safety I can appreciate. The Tesla Model 3, with its ‘Good’ rating from IIHS, is ‘solidly built’ and ‘around long enough for any possible safety issues to be sorted.’ But hey, ‘Top Safety Pick’ is for the ‘very best vehicles in each category,’ and the Model 3 just manages to be ‘good enough.’ Volvo XC40 Recharge, with its ‘high-strength safety cage and advanced driver assistance features,’ is ‘one of the safest car brands in the world.’ But it’s not the safest; it’s ‘one of the safest.’ The Nissan Ariya, the ‘pioneer of the affordable EV with the Leaf,’ has now ‘entered the popular EV SUV segment’ with the Ariya. It’s ‘a very safe car,’ but let’s hope we don’t find out the hard way. Subaru Solterra, with its ‘dual motors and all-wheel-drive as standard,’ is ‘a thoroughly safe car’ with ‘IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and five stars from NHTSA.’ Safe enough for the city and dirt, but does it have the range to take on the road ahead? The Rivian R1T, with its ‘mind-blowing power’ and ‘genuine off-road capability,’ is the ‘truck option of the brilliant R1S SUV.’ But hey, it’s not rated by the NHTSA yet, so it’s still a work in progress, right? Safety, it seems, is an ongoing project, with vehicles constantly playing catch-up to their own standards.
Read from: https://www.topspeed.com/evs-most-impressive-safety-ratings/