The Cybertruck has officially earned the Top Safety Pick+ award from the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), scoring a perfect “Good” rating in every major crashworthiness category.
This accolade effectively silences years of criticism and speculation from skeptics who claimed that the Cybertruck’s angular stainless-steel design would make it a deathtrap for occupants and passengers alike.
Instead, the Cybertruck has been proven to be statistically one of the safest pickups on the road, outperforming nearly every competitor in the segment, including the Rivian R1T.
Top Safety Pick+
To qualify for the “+” distinction, the highest honor that the IIHS bestows, a vehicle must achieve top-tier scores against a battery of tests. The Cybertruck secured a “Good” rating, which is the highest possible, in the following tests:
Small Overlap Front
Moderate Overlap Front
Side
Headlights
Front crash prevention: pedestrian
This creates a formidable safety resume that places the Cybertruck in a small and elite group, joining the Model 3 and Model Y as leaders in their respective classes.
Overall Ratings
IIHS rates vehicles with one of four ratings for each category. They range from Good (best) to Poor (worst).
Good (G)
Acceptable (A)
Marginal (M)
Poor (P)
Below are the Cybertruck’s complete ratings, as published by the IIHS.
Crashworthiness
Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
Small overlap front | G |
Moderate overlap front: updated test | G |
Side: updated test | G |
Crash avoidance & mitigation
Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
Headlights | G |
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (Standard system) | G |
Seat belts & child restraints
Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
Seat belt reminders | M |
LATCH ease of use | A |
Driver-side Test
Overall driver-side evaluation | 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 |
Passenger-side Test
Overall passenger-side 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 |
Moderate Overlap Front Test
Overall evaluation | G |
|---|---|
Structure and safety cage | G |
Driver injury measures: | |
Head/neck | G |
Chest | G |
Thigh/hip | G |
Leg/foot | G |
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
Rear passenger injury measures: | |
Head/neck | G |
Chest | A |
Thigh | G |
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
Side Test
Overall evaluation | G |
|---|---|
Structure and safety cage | G |
Driver injury measures: | |
Head/neck | G |
Torso | A |
Pelvis | G |
Driver head protection | G |
Rear passenger injury measures: | |
Head/neck | G |
Torso | G |
Pelvis | G |
Rear passenger head protection | G |
Others
Headlights | G |
Front crash prevention: pedestrian | G |
Seat belt reminders | M |
Child seat anchors | A |
The worst ratings the Cybertruck received were for the vehicle’s seat belt reminders and for child seat anchors being difficult to find.
Leaving The Competition Behind
The significance of this achievement becomes even clearer when you look at the competition. The updated Moderate Overlap Front test, which places a dummy in the rear seat to measure passenger protection, has caused major issues for other truck manufacturers.
The Ford F-150 (and its now-discontinued electric Lightning variant) received a shocking “Poor” rating in the updated Moderate Overlap Front test. The IIHS found high risks of injury to rear passengers in the F-150, a stark contrast to the Cybertruck’s perfect score.
While Rivian still makes extremely safe vehicles, the 2025 R1T only managed an “Acceptable” rating in the Moderate Overlap Front test, preventing it from earning the “+” distinction this year.
The Toyota Tundra also secured the Top Safety Pick+ award, but fell short of the Cybertruck in Pedestrian Crash Prevention, scoring an “Acceptable” rating.
Not Just 2025+ Models
Eagle-eyed observers noted that the IIHS award specifically applies to vehicles “built after April 2025.” This led to concerns among early adopters, wondering whether their older vehicles were less safe.
Wes Morrill, Tesla’s Lead Engineer for the Cybertruck, clarified the situation on X. He explained that the date restriction is due to a minor manufacturing change involving the front casting, which was optimized for manufacturability in April 2025.
He confirmed that Tesla’s internal testing shows no difference in crash results between the two versions, and the change was purely for manufacturing reasons.
The structural integrity and crash performance remain consistent across the fleet, but the IIHS’s strict protocols required them to benchmark the specific configuration they tested.
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
Pedestrian Safety
Perhaps the most surprising result for critics was the Pedestrian Front Crash Prevention score. Despite its sharp, apocalyptic geometry, the Cybertruck earned a “Good” rating, demonstrating that its advanced active safety features are capable of effectively mitigating impacts with pedestrians.
The Cybertruck previously earned a
