The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday the 2026 Tesla Model Y is the first vehicle model to pass the agency’s new advanced driver-assistance system tests.
The tests have recently been added to the agency’s New Car Assessment Program. The models that passed are Model Y vehicles manufactured on or after November 12, 2025. The tests cover pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention. NHTSA separately has a number of investigations into Tesla, including a probe into its Full Self-Driving driver-assistance system over concerns the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility.
The new pass/fail tests were approved by NHTSA in November 2024 effective for the 2026 model year after being required by Congress.
Automakers covet five-star safety ratings that are considered by many new car buyers. They are separate from NHTSA’s mandatory auto safety standards.
Traffic deaths rose sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2022 pedestrian deaths hit their highest level since 1981. Last month, NHTSA said U.S. traffic deaths last year fell to the lowest number since 2019.
NHTSA’s five-star New Car Assessment Program – in place since 1978 – is used by prospective car buyers to make decisions about the safety features of vehicles.
In September, the Trump administration delayed changes in the program by one year after automakers sought more time.
NHTSA previously added other driver-assistance technologies to the program including electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning in 2011; rear visibility systems in 2013 and automatic emergency braking in 2015 for model-year 2018 vehicles. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
