Recently a report was published by the European safety test, that was ranking driver assist systems in the countries. It ranked Tesla Model Y as the highest grade of any vehicle. The 2022 Model Y scored 98% in the “Safety assist” category.
Technologies involved like lane-keeping and automatic emergency braking were all evaluated. Overall, the Model Y received a five-star ranking in the European tests, called Euro NCAP, which stands for “new car assessment program.” A five-star score indicates that a vehicle has excellent performance in crash protection and robust crash avoidance tech.
Furthermore, the Model Y received the highest marks of any tested vehicle in two of four test categories, and the second highest score in a third category — vulnerable road users, which focuses on pedestrian and cyclist interactions. Tesla’s other vehicles were not tested, but its new models have the same standard driver-assist technology as the Model Y. In 2019, a Tesla Model 3 received an overall five-star score. Tesla’s European version of Autopilot has more limitations than the US version. For example, the Smart Summon function, in which the car slowly drives to meet its owner, is limited to 20 feet rather than 213 feet. Tesla also has not yet announced a release of the beta version of “full self-driving” in Europe.
Full-self-driving technology
Tesla’s driver-assist technologies, called Autopilot and “full self-driving,” have long pushed boundaries of what car technology is capable of. Many drivers say they feel less fatigued after using Autopilot’s automatic steering function on long highway drives. But the system’s safety record has been questioned, including concerns about if the automaker does enough to keep drivers engaged and attentive. The National Transportation Safety Board has called for Tesla to improve its driver-assist technologies following several headline-grabbing fatal crashes. Research has found that drivers are more distracted when they use Autopilot.
