There's Only 1 EV on the 2021 List of Safest SUVs
Maya Farley
· 4 min read
When looking for an SUV for the family, the safety of the car usually comes at the top of anyone's checklist. In this modern electric-vehicle-driven age, families wanting an
electric vehicle
should consider the only EV on the 2021 list of safest SUVs
, the Audi E-tron.As Audi's first all-electric vehicle made for production, the Audi E-tron proves itself quite the tough family car. It received a 5-star rating from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a top safety pick and honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which is the highest distinction.
Let's take a look at some of the E-tron's safety features.
Safety features included in the Audi E-tron
As you can expect from any Audi product, the E-tron boasts a high-quality, luxurious design. It offers a smooth, comfortable ride with a high-end cabin that will easily host a family of 5, while also leaving tons of room for cargo.
But even more impressive is the safety features you'll find in the fine machine. They include:
- Anti-lock brakes –The vehicle uses ABS brakes, which are designed to increase the efficiency of the braking system. They usually sense when a tire stops rotating under intense braking, then modulate the brake's pressure so that the tire can continue rotating. This way, your vehicle is still able to turn as you brake.
- Stability control – As the name suggests, stability control aims to enhance the vehicle's stability. The feature automatically detects when you exceed the handling limits of the vehicle. It then either activates select brakes or reduces the engine's power so the driver regains control of the vehicle. This comes in handy in tricky situations, like driving on icy roads.
- Front-impact airbags – These airbags are positioned intuitively at the front to protect the driver and front passenger's head in case of a frontal crash.
- Overhead airbags – Overhead airbags help protect the head during a rollover or side collision.
- Pretensioners – Pretensioners are integrated within the seatbelt. In the event of a collision, they automatically tighten the seat belt so the occupant is positioned in an optimally safe position.
- Side impact airbags – These airbags are positioned to protect the occupant's torsos in case of a side impact collision.
Other cutting-edge technology integrated into the car's system include forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.
These features work in unison to give the E-tron an outstanding rating in all six of its crash tests. The vehicle's crash mitigation technology helped it avoid collisions in almost all the exercises. In the 37-mph parallel pedestrian test, the car stopped itself from hitting the dummy in just 2.3 seconds.
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Why Tesla doesn't feature on the list
MORE: Tesla Canceled 1 of Its Most Anticipated Models With No Warning
NHTSA and IIHS crash tests are usually done on new vehicles to ensure that the car has adequate safety protocols in place before going to market. The vehicle is usually subjected to a series of crashes and collisions to see how it behaves during frontal and side crashes. If a vehicle makes it on the list, it means that it has a 5-star rating from NHTSA, and it is an IIHS top safety pick.
You are probably wondering how and why none of Tesla's models appeared on the list of safest SUVs. After all, its model X was one of the first SUVs to receive a perfect crash test rating. It even refused to roll over after impact, which is the most challenging safety measure for SUVs.
Well, the main reason is that Tesla
recently pulled radar and reliance on cameras from their safety features
on their model 3 and Y. Since the two features were key factors when ranking the vehicle's safety, the NHTSA removed the top safety pick + designation. This meant that the two Tesla models couldn't be placed on the safest SUV list.However, this doesn't entirely put Tesla out of the race. The company claims to be transitioning to a new system, "the Tesla vision," which uses a system of cameras and
neural network computer procession
on its safety system. Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks the system will be safer than any human driver.Takeaway
MORE: Audi and Volkswagen Hit by Massive Data Breach
In terms of safety, the Audi E-tron proves itself a worthy adversary against other popular models like the Tesla model X, model Y, and Volkswagen ID.4.
Despite being relatively new to the electric SUV market, the vehicle managed to secure a place on the esteemed list, which is impressive by any standards. We can expect to see even more safety technology implemented in newer models.
But even with all the safety protocols, the vehicle is still prone to accidents. For this reason, it is important to still insure your car with all the necessary
types of insurance
. If you are looking for cheap car insurance quotes, we recommend you check out the Jerry
app.
