The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shared moderate overlap crash test results for seven EVs today, many of which have never been evaluated by IIHS before. The Tesla Cybertruck, Volkswagen ID Buzz, BMW i4, Tesla Model 3, Ford F-150 Lightning, Nissan Ariya, and Chevrolet Blazer EV make up the vehicles that faced off against the IIHS’ deformable barrier, and the results were mixed. Four of the seven EVs achieved the IIHS’ highest rating of good in the updated moderate overlap test, while one scored the second-highest rating of acceptable, one earned the second-lowest rating of marginal, and one got the lowest possible rating of poor. Each vehicle was also evaluated on the performance of their headlights, and the performance of their pedestrian crash avoidance systems.
The IIHS’ updated moderate overlap crash test simulates an offset crash between two vehicles traveling in opposite directions, like if someone crossed over the center line on a two-lane road, at a 40% overlap at slightly under 40 miles per hour. It was updated and made more challenging in 2022 with the inclusion of a small woman or 12-year-old child-sized crash test dummy in the rear seat as well as an average size male dummy in the driver’s seat.
Updated moderate overlap results
The most common reason for vehicles to struggle in the updated moderate overlap test is high injury metrics on the dummy located in the rear seat. The Cybertruck, ID Buzz, i4, and Blazer EV all earned the highest rating of good in this test, so they all offer excellent protection for front and rear-seat occupants in this test, and good protection for front and rear occupants in a similar real-world crash. It should be noted that this test only applies to Tesla Cybertrucks that were manufactured after April 2025, since that’s when Tesla made changes to the Cybertruck’s frontal underbody structure.
Tesla’s facelifted Model 3 got the second-highest rating of acceptable because the smaller dummy in the rear showed a “somewhat elevated risk of chest injuries due to high belt forces.” The Nissan Ariya earned the second-lowest rating of marginal in the updated moderate overlap front crash test because the rear-seat dummy showed that a similarly sized human would face a high risk of chest injuries due to the seatbelt.
Then there’s the Ford F-150 Lightning, which earned the lowest score of poor because the rear-seat dummy showed a high risk of chest injuries, as well as a high risk of injuries to the head or neck. The lap belt of the rear dummy’s seatbelt also slipped off of the dummy’s pelvis during the impact and onto the abdomen, which increases the risk of internal injuries.
Headlight rating results
None of the vehicles evaluated in this test earned a good rating for the efficacy of their headlights. The IIHS evaluates a vehicle’s headlights by measuring the distance over which the headlights provide adequate illumination on both straightaways and curves. It also tests the headlights or excessive levels of glare that may dazzle oncoming drivers.
Neither the BMW i4’s standard or optional headlights performed well in the IIHS headlight evaluation. The standard system got the lowest rating of poor, and the optional system came in one rung higher at marginal. Both provide inadequate illumination on the high beam setting, and the standard headlight system creates excessive glare with its low beams, too.
The Tesla Cybertruck earned a poor rating in the IIHS’ headlight evaluation tests because its headlights cause significantly excessive glare for other motorists. The Volkswagen ID Buzz, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Ariya, and Ford F-150 Lightning all achieved the second-highest rating of acceptable in the IIHS’ headlight evaluation.
Front pedestrian accident avoidance system test results
Every model evaluated in this set of tests either earned a good or acceptable rating for their front pedestrian crash prevention systems. Each system is evaluated on its performance in 10 recreations of real-world scenarios. The only test scenario performed in daylight is a child-sized dummy running out into the street from behind a parked car, performed at 12 mph and at 25 mph. Nighttime scenarios are all performed with both the vehicle’s low beams on, and again with the vehicle’s high beams on. The first scenario is an unobstructed adult-sized dummy crossing a street at nighttime, and the test is performed with low beams and high beams at both 12 and 25 mph. There is also a parallel test, where vehicles drive toward an adult-sized dummy walking in the same direction of travel as the car at night, performed at 25 mph and at 37 mph with both high and low beams active.
The BMW i4 saw the IIHS’ highest rating of good in the front crash prevention test, where it either prevented or vastly reduced the speed of impact with a crossing child dummy in daylight, a crossing adult at night, and a parallel impact with an adult at night. The Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, Nissan Ariya, and Tesla Model 3 all earned good ratings in the IIHS’ front pedestrian crash prevention tests, but only the Teslas avoided hitting the pedestrian dummies in every single test. The other cars avoided collision in most tests, and greatly reduced the speed of impact in others.
The Volkswagen ID Buzz and Chevrolet Blazer EV both earned acceptable ratings in the front pedestrian crash prevention tests, with the ID Buzz only avoiding collision in four out of the IIHS’ 10 tests. The Blazer EV avoided collision in all but two of the 10 scenarios, but it still hit the pedestrian dummy walking parallel in the same direction as the car at night at 18 mph, and its pre-impact driver warnings were too late.
Head to the IIHS website for the full detailed breakdown of each vehicle’s performance in these tests, as well as the explanation of how vehicles are evaluated, and detailed test protocol and technical information. Most of the vehicles evaluated in this cycle are also rated on their seat belt reminder systems and the ease of use of their LATCH car seat systems, which can be found on the IIHS website as well.
