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Tesla Banned from ‘Safest Cars’ List for the Stupidest Reason

Last Updated September 25, 2020 8:43 PM
Aaron Weaver
Last Updated September 25, 2020 8:43 PM

If Tesla wants to be considered one of the safest car-makers on the road, they need to crash more. Folksam , a Swedish insurance company, released their annual study on the safest cars in their country, and the electric car company was notably omitted.

Apparently, Folksam requires vehicles to get into a certain number of accidents to qualify. The insurance company says they only recorded seven Tesla accidents this year. Meanwhile, the Toyota RAV4 was in more than enough wrecks to be considered the safest.

Tesla: the Safest Cars in the World?

Last year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Model 3 a perfect 5-star rating in every category.

Tesla posted on their blog  saying the Model 3 has the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by the NHTSA. The Model S and Model X followed in second and third place.

Tesla graph
Tesla has the three safest cars on the market. | Screenshot from tesla.com

Are Teslas Really That Safe?

While Elon Musk basks in safety royalty, some reports suggest the flamethrowing  CEO’s cars aren’t as safe as advertised. Last October, the NHTSA released a report telling Musk’s company to stop claiming the Model 3 has “the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by NHTSA.”

In a letter surfaced by PlainSite , NHTSA Chief Counsel Jonathan Morrison said Tesla’s statement was “misleading.” The NHTSA doesn’t rank cars according to safety.

The letter continued:

“This is not the first time that Tesla has disregarded the Guidelines…We have therefore also referred this matter to the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection to investigate whether these statements constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices.”

Meanwhile, Teslas seem to be exploding left and right. According to a report  by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), they had the highest rate of non-crash fires.

Tesla’s autopilot was found to be partially at fault for at least one crash earlier this year. To top it off, the company’s driver fatality rate is more than triple  that of other luxury cars.

As Elon Musk continues his crusade to prove that Teslas are fast, he may want to do more to reassure us that they’re safe.

However, with all due respect to Folksam, crashing them more frequently is probably the wrong strategy.


Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not represent those of, nor should they be attributed to, CCN.com.