Tesla continues to prove they make the safest cars on the road, with the Model Y receiving the top safety rating from Euro NCAP and Australia’s ANCAP.
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is the latest car safety agency to give Tesla’s Model Y a top safety score. The Model Y just arrived in Australia a few months ago, despite being a popular vehicle in the U.S. market for some years now.
The Model Y also achieved a top safety score with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the U.S.
ANCAP released its five-star safety rating for the Model Y. Tesla scored well in all categories but excelled in adult occupant protection and safety assist.
The Model Y scored near-perfect results in the Adult Occupant Protection category, with an outstanding score of 97%. The highest score of any vehicle tested in this protocol. The score for the Adult Occupant Protection category is determined by a series of frontal, side and rear crash tests. Additionally, the score includes several other safety factors such as rescue, extrication and post-crash safety.
Tesla will continue to iterate on the vehicle's design and software to achieve even better safety scores in the future.
In fact, Tesla's CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that Tesla has already improved Tesla Vision further since these tests have taken place.
However, there are always areas for improvement. Some of the categories Tesla can improve include, Child Occupant Protection and Vulnerable Road User Protection.
For child occupant protection, the Model Y lost some safety score points because it does not support every kind of child seat:
"Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in the rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule and one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position."
Tesla Model Y Crash Test Ratings by EuroNCAP
EuroNCAP
Another category where Model Y underperformed was Vulnerable Road User Protection. ANCAP found that if the car struck a pedestrian, it would have a hard time with the base of the windscreen:
"The bonnet of the Tesla Model Y provided GOOD or ADEQUATE protection to the head of a struck pedestrian over most of its surface, with WEAK and POOR results recorded at the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars."
Despite these critiques, ANCAP was impressed by Tesla’s autonomous emergency braking system for protecting road users:
"The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system is capable of detecting and reacting to pedestrians and cyclists. The AEB system showed GOOD performance in pedestrian test scenarios in both daylight and low light, with collisions avoided or mitigated in most scenarios including in turning scenarios and some reverse (AEB Backover). In cyclist test scenarios, the AEB system offered GOOD performance with maximum points scored."
The agency was also impressed with Tesla’s autonomous driver-assist system for preventing/mitigating collisions with other vehicles:
"Tests of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system showed GOOD performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in all scenarios, including AEB Junction Assist where the test vehicle can autonomously brake to avoid crashes when turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle."
Model Y received a leading score of 98 percent in Euro NCAP's Safety Assist category. This was thanks to Tesla Vision, the camera vision and neural net processing system that comes standard in all Tesla vehicles in North America and Europe. With update 2022.24 Tesla has also started transitioning some of its older radar-based vehicles to Tesla Vision.
Teslas are so safe because Tesla continuously innovates and iterates on its vehicle designs.
The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.
However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.
Waiting on the Dutch
Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.
The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.
Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied.
This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025
DCAS Phase 3
While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.
According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.
This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.
What This Means
This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.
Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.
Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.
Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.
Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase
Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.
Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.
The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH
The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.
Prizes
The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.
For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.
The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.
The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.
For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:
How to Enter
If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:
Video must be 90 seconds or less
Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL
Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.
Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form
Provide your personal details in the form
You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.
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