Tesla’s Model Y just cleared a new federal safety bar
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced today that Tesla Model Ys manufactured after November 12 were the first to pass the agency’s new advanced driver assistance system tests, which are now part of the New Car Assessment Program. According to NHTSA, Tesla tested the 2026 Model Y and submitted the test results to the organization for review.
“By successfully passing these new tests, the 2026 Tesla Model Y demonstrates the lifesaving potential of driver assistance technologies and sets a high bar for the industry,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison wrote in the press release. “We hope to see many more manufacturers develop vehicles that can meet these requirements.”
The new tests include:
Pedestrian automatic emergency braking
Lane-keeping assistance
Blind spot warning
Blind spot intervention
The milestone offers Tesla highly coveted regulatory validation, as it seeks to spur usage of its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) tech.