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 systems (ADAS) tests, which are now part of the New Car Assessment Program.
“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, and
Blind spot intervention
The milestone offers Tesla highly coveted regulatory validation, as it seeks to spur usage of its Full Self Driving (Supervised) tech. NHTSA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.