As the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety increases its requirements to get a Top Safety Pick award, fewer vehicles win these awards. In fact, in 2023, only 48 vehicles get TSP or TSP+ honors. Four of those are EVs. So, here’s a quick look at the safest EVs you can buy in 2023.
2023 Subaru Solterra
Vehicle class: Small SUV
IIHS Award: TSP+
Base price: $46,220
The Solterra is currently the only EV offered by Subaru and joins pretty much every other vehicle in the Subaru lineup on the TSP list. It gets good ratings across the board and superior ratings for its crash avoidance and mitigation system. The award only applies to vehicles made after October 2022. The Toyota bZ4X, which is built on the same platform didn’t make the TSP list because of poor headlight ratings.
2023 Volkswagen ID.4
Vehicle class: Midsize SUV
IIHS Award: TSP+
Base price: $40,290
Though we didn’t particularly enjoy the ID.4, there’s no denying its safety chops. It gets good ratings for all the crash tests and either good or acceptable ratings for the headlights. The crash mitigation system is deemed advanced but falls short of superior when it comes to pedestrian safety.
2023 Tesla Model Y
Vehicle class: Midsize Luxury SUV
IIHS Award: TSP+
Base price: $46,990
The Model Y is the only Tesla on the TSP list for 2023. It gets good crash test ratings across the board and has good or acceptable headlight ratings depending on the trim. The front crash mitigation system is rated superior. Tesla is taking a couple hard knocks lately with other EVs hitting the streets en masse. This could mean big change is on the horizon for the EV automaker.
2023 Rivian R1T
Vehicle class: Large pickups
IIHS Award: TSP+
Base price: $87,000
As we noted in the safest trucks story, this new EV has some cool tech and up to 400 miles of range. But as it pertains to safety, the R1T gets good crash test ratings across the board, and mostly superior ratings for crash avoidance and mitigation. The only less than perfect mark it gets is for vehicle-to-pedestrian prevention at night – and it’s still advanced.
The bottom line on the safest EVs
You might have noticed that none of the EVs from Kia, Hyundai and Genesis mad the 2023 TSP list, though they did for 2022. We reached out to IIHS, and Joe Young, director of media relations, said these vehicles need additional tests to qualify under the 2023 TSP criteria, and it’s possible they could still earn safety awards later this year.
So, stay tuned. We’ll update this story as we know more.
