Watch Tesla Model X, Porsche Taycan ace Euro NCAP crash tests
Both electric cars earned top honors from the European safety body.
Crash tests are nothing new in the automotive industry, but seeing how well electric cars crash is. We've started to see how well electric vehicles perform in US tests, but Europe got an in-depth crack at two highly regarded, battery-powered machines.
Both the Tesla Model X and the Porsche Taycan aced the Euro NCAP assessment program. The safety body reported its findings this week for both electric vehicles and Tesla highlighted the Model X in a Wednesday announcement.
The Euro NCAP looks at a variety of areas, not just how well a car performs in a barrage of crash tests; how well a car handles a wreck certainly helps its star rating, however. It's worth noting fewer stars doesn't necessarily mean a car is unsafe on the Euro NCAP scale, since the star rating goes beyond legal requirements. However, more stars provides a comparison mechanism to see how comparable cars stack up.
Looking at the Tesla's ratings, the Model X scored a damn-near-perfect 98% in the adult occupant safety category. Its safety assist technology also returned a 94% rating. Overall, this translated to a five-star rating. For the Porsche Taycan, it earned an 85% rating in adult occupant safety -- still pretty swell and also good enough for a five-star rating. Safety assist technology was rated at 73%.
US agencies haven't yet tested or published ratings for the Taycan electric sedan, though nearly every new car on sale earns a five-star rating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, however, is a different animal. NHTSA has tested the Model X and awarded the electric SUV a five-star rating. The IIHS has not tested either vehicle.
Check out how both cars crashed in the videos above.
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