The Safest Electric Vehicles for 2025: New Leaders in EV Safety Emerge

Remember when Tesla dominated safety ratings? Those days are over. While the Model Y and Cybertruck did score five stars from NHTSA this year, Tesla's nowhere to be found on the IIHS's Top Safety Pick+ list for 2025. Talk about a plot twist.

So which EVs are keeping passengers safest these days? Let's take a look at the new safety champions:

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Ford's controversial electric crossover (is it really a Mustang?) grabbed that coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick+ badge and five stars from NHTSA. It's loaded with the usual safety suspects - emergency braking, blind-spot alerts, lane keeping - plus you can get Ford's hands-free BlueCruise system. The Mach-E is actually fun to drive too, especially the dirt-happy Rally version. And hey, Ford finally has access to Tesla's Supercharger network, so there's that.

Genesis GV70 Electric

This luxury EV nailed Top Safety Pick+ again but still hasn't met the NHTSA folks. Packed with safety tech and emergency evasive steering on fancier models, it's a beautiful ride that falls short in one critical area - range. At roughly 200 miles per charge, it's more "around town" than "road trip warrior." Gorgeous inside though!

Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Ioniq 5 keeps its safety crown for 2025 and now comes with a built-in NACS port for Tesla Supercharger hookups. Smart move. The refreshed model fixes that annoying center console and now includes the rugged XRT version and that bonkers Ioniq 5 N performance model. If you're shopping for an electric crossover, this one's gunning hard for the Model Y.

Hyundai Ioniq 6

The sleek, spaceship-looking Ioniq 6 also scored top safety marks. It's quick-charging and has decent range, but honestly isn't as practical or nice inside as the Ioniq 5. Might be worth waiting for the 2026 model, which should get that NACS charging port and probably a high-performance N version too.

Kia EV9

Need to haul the whole family? The three-row EV9 scored both top safety ratings and comes packed with driver assists. The third row isn't huge, but it'll handle the kids just fine. Based on the same platform as the excellent EV6, it's got solid range and charging speeds. Like the Ioniq 6, you might want to hold out for the 2026 model with built-in NACS ports and that upcoming EV9 GT performance version.

Rivian R1S

Rivian's SUV jumped up to Top Safety Pick+ this year - impressive for a relatively new automaker. The 2025 refresh added their Autonomy Platform for future self-driving features, and those fancy headlights that won't blind oncoming traffic. With stellar on-road manners and serious off-road chops, the R1S remains a home run, even if the third row is a bit cramped.

Rivian R1T

The R1T pickup couldn't quite match its SUV sibling, earning just Top Safety Pick status. It's got the same Autonomy Platform and driver assists though. Whether you go for the two, three, or four-motor version, this truck is a blast to drive. The bed isn't huge, but that gear tunnel running widthwise across the body is genius. Hard not to love this thing.

Subaru Solterra

Here's a head-scratcher: the Solterra earned Top Safety Pick+ while its nearly identical Toyota bZ4X twin got nothing from IIHS. The Subie scored five NHTSA stars too. But beyond safety, this is a rare miss for Subaru - short range, slow charging, weird styling, and poor packaging. At least it has that Subaru ground clearance and standard AWD. Better to wait for the 2026 refresh if you're dead set on one.

The safety game has changed dramatically in just a few years. Tesla's still selling plenty of cars, but when it comes to crash protection and safety tech in 2025, these eight models are leading the pack. Who would've thought?