Two of the most trusted U.S. safety organizations reached very different conclusions about the 2025 Tesla Cybertruck. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the electric truck an overall five-star rating, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlighted several shortcomings and left some important tests pending.
What NHTSA found
– Overall rating: five stars
– Frontal crash: five stars
– Side crash: five stars
– Rollover resistance: four stars
By NHTSA’s standards, that places the Cybertruck among the safest trucks currently on sale for crash protection and occupant safety.
What IIHS found
– Moderate overlap front crash: good, but only for trucks built after April 2025 when Tesla reinforced the front underbody structure. Earlier builds don’t qualify for this result.
– Pedestrian crash prevention: good
– Vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention: not evaluated
– Seat belt reminder: marginal
– LATCH child-seat system: acceptable (lower anchors are easy to access, but the top tether anchors are harder to use)
– Headlights: poor
IIHS has not yet tested the Cybertruck in the small overlap front and side crash categories. Because of the poor headlight rating and missing test results, the truck does not qualify for the organization’s Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ awards. Those awards require strong performance in all key crash tests, effective crash-prevention systems, and at least acceptable headlights.
What this means if you’re shopping
– Verify the build date. If safety is a priority, look for Cybertrucks built after April 2025 to benefit from the improved moderate overlap front crash performance.
– Consider nighttime visibility. The poor headlight rating may be a concern for frequent night driving.
– Watch for more data. IIHS small overlap front and side crash results could shift the overall picture once published.
– Recognize different yardsticks. NHTSA uses a star system focused on occupant protection and rollover resistance, while IIHS evaluates additional factors like headlight performance and advanced crash-prevention tech.
Bottom line
The 2025 Tesla Cybertruck delivers top-tier protection in NHTSA testing, earning an overall five-star rating with strong front and side crash scores. IIHS results are more nuanced: post–April 2025 builds perform well in the moderate overlap front test and pedestrian crash prevention, but the truck is held back by poor headlights, a marginal seat belt reminder, and missing results in other crash categories. Buyers should check the build date and keep an eye out for future IIHS updates to get the full safety picture.
