Tesla's Model X safety rating hit a new benchmark by being the first SUV to earn five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in every category.
A high center of gravity and higher rollover risk means SUVs that have gotten five stars overall typically get only four stars in one component of the reviews, CNN reported.
But with a heavy lithium battery pack on the bottom of the car and a lower center of gravity, the Model X overcame that obstacle to become the first SUV to get a perfect five-star safety rating.
Federal regulators found that passengers of the Model X have a 93 percent chance of walking away from an accident such as a rollover, head-on collision, side collision, or sliding into a pole or tree, without serious injury, CNN noted.
Tesla said in a news release that, of all the cars the NHTSA has rated, the Model X is second only to the Model S in overall probability of injury.
"NHTSA’s tests assess both the structure of the vehicle, which must minimize intrusion into the cabin and absorb as much energy as possible, and also the seatbelt and airbag restraint system, which must maximize injury mitigation in the event of a crash," Tesla said in the statement. "Among the nine subcategories rated by NHTSA, including frontal impact, side impact, and pole impact tests conducted on both the driver and passenger side as well as the rollover test, Model X achieved 5-stars in every category and sub-category."
The NHTSA gave the Model X a 9.30 percent chance of rolling over during an accident after it was unable to tip one over during its dynamic test, Engadget reported.
The Model X doesn't receive high overall ratings from Consumer Reports. The magazine said poor reliability ratings make the Model X one of the lowest scoring SUVs in its category.
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