Once Mocked, Now the Safest Pickup of the Year: Tesla Cybertruck Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+

The Tesla Cybertruck has achieved a major milestone, earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for 2025 model-year vehicles produced after April, following key structural and safety-system updates.

The highest safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) marks a dramatic turnaround for Tesla’s polarizing electric pickup, which was widely criticized for its unconventional design when first unveiled.

Structural Updates Drive Improved Crash Test Results

According to IIHS, Tesla implemented important design changes to the Cybertruck’s lower front structure and footwell area, significantly improving protection for both the driver and front passenger in frontal crashes.

As a result:

• Small-overlap front crash (driver-side): Improved performance

• Moderate-overlap frontal crash: Rated Good

• Updated side-impact test: Rated Good

These updates allowed the Cybertruck to meet IIHS’s stricter 2025 safety criteria, which place greater emphasis on rear-seat protection and advanced crash compatibility.

Strong Performance in Pedestrian Safety Tests

IIHS also highlighted the Cybertruck’s front crash prevention system, which delivered excellent results in pedestrian detection tests.

The standard Collision Avoidance Assist system:

• Successfully avoided collisions with adult and child pedestrians

• Performed well in both daytime and nighttime scenarios

Additionally, the Cybertruck’s automatic high-beam headlights were credited with compensating for inherent lighting limitations, further enhancing nighttime safety.

One of the Safest Full-Size Pickups on Sale

With this award, the Cybertruck becomes:

• One of only two full-size pickups to receive the Top Safety Pick+ rating

• The only pickup in its class equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology

Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) system allows the Cybertruck to:

• Navigate city streets and highways autonomously

• Operate under continuous driver supervision

• Integrate advanced collision avoidance and driver assistance features

A Significant Shift in Perception

The IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating represents a notable shift in how the Cybertruck is perceived — from a controversial design experiment to a benchmark for pickup safety.

It also demonstrates Tesla’s ability to rapidly iterate vehicle design based on real-world data and regulatory feedback, a process that played a key role in achieving the improved safety results.

Cybertruck and the Future of Pickup Safety

As safety standards continue to evolve, the Cybertruck’s recognition shows that electric pickups can meet — and exceed — the highest safety benchmarks, even in traditionally conservative vehicle segments.

For Tesla, the award strengthens the Cybertruck’s position not just as a technological outlier, but as one of the safest pickups on the road today.