Following comprehensive evaluation cycles, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that the redesigned 2026 Model Y secured its coveted Top Safety Pick+ distinction, earning top scores across structural crashworthiness and active collision avoidance tests.
The accolade builds on Tesla’s strong track record in passenger protection. The safety organization also awarded the 2026 Cybertruck its Top Safety Pick+ rating earlier this summer, naming it the safest pickup truck of the year. Historically, Tesla’s best-selling crossover has been no stranger to praise from safety agencies, with past Model Y models also receiving Top Safety Pick+ ratings with nearly perfect scores. The Model 3 has also earned top IIHS safety honors over multiple testing cycles.
Top Safety Pick+
To qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle must achieve top-tier marks across updated, more demanding impact trials. The refreshed Model Y, which includes 2026 and 2027 builds, secured a Good overall rating across every primary crashworthiness and crash avoidance discipline:
Small Overlap Front
Moderate Overlap Front (Updated test)
Side (Updated test)
Headlights (across all trim variations)
Front Crash Prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0
Front Crash Prevention: pedestrian
The 2026 Model Y earned Good ratings in both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian crash avoidance tests using Tesla’s standard vision-based Automatic Emergency Braking system, avoiding collisions across a wide range of approach speeds. The only metric falling short of top marks was the seat belt reminder system, which received a Marginal rating.
2026 Model Y Full IIHS Ratings
The IIHS evaluates vehicles on a four-tier scale, with Good (G) representing the best possible outcome, while Poor (P) indicates substandard protection. The ratings are defined as:
Good (G)
Acceptable (A)
Marginal (M)
Poor (P) Good (G), Acceptable (A), Marginal (M), and Poor (P).
Below are the overall scores published by the IIHS for the 2026 Model Y, along with detailed breakdowns for each category:
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: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 (standard crash avoidance system, no FSD) | G |
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (standard crash avoidance system, no FSD) | G |
Seat belts & child restraints
Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
Seat belt reminders | M |
Small Overlap Front
The small overlap front evaluation measures intrusion and dummy kinematics on both the driver and passenger sides during an off-center barrier collision.
Driver-side
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
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 (Updated 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 | G |
Thigh | G |
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
Side (Updated Test)
Overall evaluation | G |
|---|---|
Structure and safety cage | G |
Driver injury measures: | |
Head/neck | G |
Torso | G |
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: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 | G |
Front crash prevention: pedestrian | G |
Seat belt reminders | M |
Notably, the Marginal rating for seat belt reminders is the only blemish on the 2026 Model Y’s IIHS rating sheet. It earned the best possible score in every other testing category.
Standard driver assistance technology on the 2026 Model Y that was part of the IIHS’s testing included Automatic Emergency Braking, blind-spot detection, and lane departure warnings and intervention. However, the testing cycle didn’t evaluate Full Self-Driving (Supervised).
With structural reinforcements and active safety suites proving their resilience under stricter test protocols, the refreshed Model Y has reaffirmed its position as one of the safest family haulers on the road.
