The government is refuting a claim made by Tesla that the Model S is the safest car ever tested, and that it received a “5.4” star rating.
Tesla’s claim was recently challenged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and according to ABC News; the agency says the car had a superb performance but not to the extent of the claim.
In a press release, the NHTSA said “The agency’s 5-star Safety Ratings program is designed to provide consumers with information about the crash protection and rollover safety of new vehicles beyond what is required by Federal standards.”
The agency also gave a little backhand directly to Tesla, saying “NHTSA does not rate vehicles beyond 5 stars and does not rank or order vehicles within the star rating categories. In addition, the agency has guidelines in place for manufacturers and advertising agencies to follow to ensure that accurate and consistent information is conveyed to the public.”
The Model S scored five stars in all of the test categories conducted by NHTSA and it is not possible to score higher than that. However, according to a Tesla spokesperson, the NHTSA provides additional safety measures, which the company combined to achieve a 5.4 star rating.
Although the NHTSA rejects the 5.4 claim by Tesla, it does not deny that the Model is indeed a very safe car.
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