UPDATE 1-Tesla Model Y is first vehicle to pass new US driver-assistance system tests

The National Highway Traffic ​Safety Administration said on ‌Thursday the ​2026 Tesla Model Y is the first vehicle model to pass the agency’s new advanced driver-assistance system tests.

The National Highway Traffic ​Safety Administration said on ‌Thursday the ​2026 Tesla Model Y is the first vehicle model to pass the agency’s new advanced driver-assistance system tests. The tests have ‌recently been added to the agency's New Car Assessment Program. The models that passed are Model Y vehicles manufactured on or after November 12, 2025. The tests cover pedestrian automatic emergency braking, ‌lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention.

NHTSA separately has a ‌number of investigations into Tesla, including a probe into its Full Self-Driving driver-assistance system over concerns the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility. The new pass/fail tests were approved by NHTSA in ⁠November 2024 ​effective for the 2026 ⁠model year after being required by Congress.

Automakers covet five-star safety ratings that are considered by many new car ⁠buyers. They are separate from NHTSA's mandatory auto safety standards. Traffic deaths rose sharply after the COVID-19 ​pandemic and in 2022 pedestrian deaths hit their highest level since 1981. Last month, NHTSA ⁠said U.S. traffic deaths last year fell to the lowest number since 2019.

NHTSA's five-star New Car Assessment ⁠Program - ​in place since 1978 - is used by prospective car buyers to make decisions about the safety features of vehicles. In September, the Trump administration delayed changes in the program by ⁠one year after automakers sought more time.

NHTSA previously added other driver-assistance technologies to the program ⁠including electronic stability ⁠control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning in 2011; rear visibility systems in 2013 and automatic emergency braking in 2015 for model-year ‌2018 vehicles.