Electric vehicles have become a major part of America’s new-car market, but strong sales figures do not automatically mean every model offers the same level of crash protection.
Buyers increasingly want to know how popular EVs perform when tested in real-world crash simulations. Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book estimates identify the country’s best-selling electric models during 2025, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) evaluates their crashworthiness, headlights, and collision-prevention technology.
Comparing these two sources reveals which popular electric vehicles combine substantial consumer demand with impressive safety performance and where important weaknesses remain.
1. Tesla Model Y
2025 U.S. sales: 357,528 | II HS award: Top Safety Pick+
The Tesla Model Y dominated America’s electric vehicle market in 2025, with an estimated 357,528 units sold, making it the country’s best-selling battery-electric vehicle. Its popularity is supported by its combination of SUV practicality, competitive driving range, access to Tesla’s Supercharger network, and strong acceleration.
However, its appeal is not limited to technology and convenience. The 2025 model also earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, placing it among the highest-rated vehicles in its category under the Institute’s 2025 testing criteria.
The crash-test results are particularly encouraging. The Model Y received good ratings in the small overlap front, updated moderate overlap front, and updated side-impact evaluations. Its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system also earned a Good rating, as did its pedestrian detection system.
Headlights received a good grade, while the LATCH child-seat attachment evaluation was rated acceptable.
An important detail is that the Model Y’s passenger protection ratings include testing based on earlier vehicles, with the IIHS stating that certain small-overlap ratings apply to 2020–2025 models. The award reflects the applicable 2025 criteria and should not be interpreted as a guarantee against injury in every collision.
For families considering an electric SUV, the combination of enormous sales volume and strong IIHS performance makes the Model Y a particularly compelling option. Its Top Safety Pick+ recognition provides independent evidence that its safety engineering performs well across several important crash and crash-prevention evaluations.
2. Tesla Model 3
2025 U.S. sales: 192,440 | IIHS award: Top Safety Pick
The Tesla Model 3 secured second place among America’s best-selling electric vehicles in 2025, recording an estimated 192,440 U.S. sales. Its continued popularity demonstrates that electric sedans still have a substantial audience, even as buyers increasingly shift toward SUVs.
The Model 3 combines a relatively low driving position, responsive electric performance, and a minimalist cabin with access to Tesla’s charging infrastructure. Its safety credentials are also noteworthy, although its IIHS results reveal a few differences compared with the higher-rated Model Y.
The 2025 Model 3 earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick award. It received good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side-impact tests, while its updated moderate overlap front evaluation received an acceptable rating.
Its standard vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian front crash prevention systems both achieved good ratings. Headlights were rated acceptable, and the LATCH child-seat attachment evaluation also received an acceptable grade.
The updated moderate overlap result deserves particular attention. IIHS identified a Marginal rating for rear-passenger chest protection, even though the test’s overall rating was Acceptable. This demonstrates why buyers should look beyond an award label and examine individual test results.
The sedan’s Top Safety Pick recognition remains meaningful because it met the Institute’s award requirements, but it did not qualify for the higher Plus designation. For customers comparing popular electric sedans, the Model 3 offers strong crashworthiness in several major evaluations, alongside a more mixed result in the updated frontal test.
3. Chevrolet Equinox EV
The Chevrolet Equinox EV became one of America’s strongest-selling electric vehicles in 2025, with Cox Automotive estimating 57,945 units sold. That result placed it third among the country’s best-selling EV models, ahead of several established electric nameplates.
The Equinox EV’s appeal is straightforward. It offers buyers a conventional electric SUV with familiar styling, generous passenger space, and a lower entry price than many luxury electric crossovers. However, strong sales figures should not be confused with an established crash-test safety record.
The important distinction is that the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV does not have a published IIHS crash-test rating in the 2025 results used for this comparison. That means there is no IIHS crashworthiness grade or Top Safety Pick award to report for this model.
The gasoline-powered Chevrolet Equinox has its own IIHS test results, but those findings cannot be transferred to the electric version. Although the two vehicles share a name and some design cues, their structures, weight distribution, and underlying platforms differ.
For buyers, the absence of an IIHS rating does not establish that the Equinox EV is unsafe. It simply means that shoppers do not have the same independent IIHS crash-test evidence available for this model as they do for the Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Safety equipment and driver-assistance availability should also be considered separately from crashworthiness. Features such as automatic emergency braking can help prevent certain collisions, but they do not replace evidence from controlled crash tests.
The Equinox EV therefore earns its place on this sales list because of substantial consumer demand, not because it has demonstrated class-leading crash-test performance.
Until IIHS publishes results for the electric model, buyers should treat its crashworthiness as not yet rated by IIHS, rather than assuming it matches the gasoline Equinox or its better-tested electric rivals.
4. Ford Mustang Mach-E
The Ford Mustang Mach-E recorded 51,620 U.S. sales in 2025, making it the fourth-best-selling electric vehicle in Cox Automotive’s annual model rankings.
Unlike the Equinox EV, the Mach-E has a strong IIHS crash-test record to support its position among popular electric SUVs. The 2025 model earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, the organization’s highest safety designation for eligible vehicles under its current award criteria.
Its performance is particularly convincing because the Mach-E received good ratings in the key crashworthiness evaluations, including the small overlap front, updated moderate overlap front, and updated side tests.
These assessments examine different collision scenarios, from a vehicle striking an object with only part of its front end to impacts involving the side structure. Strong results across all three provide more meaningful evidence than a single high score because they show how the vehicle performs under several types of severe crash conditions.
The Mach-E also performed well in the areas that help drivers avoid collisions. IIHS rated its headlights. Good, and its pedestrian front crash prevention system is good. Those results matter because crash protection is not limited to what happens after impact.
Effective lighting can improve visibility at night, while pedestrian detection and automatic braking technology can help reduce the likelihood or severity of certain collisions.
The Top Safety Pick+ recognition makes the Mustang Mach-E one of the strongest performers among the seven best-selling EVs in this comparison. Its results stand out against models with mixed crash-test grades or no published IIHS rating.
Buyers should still check the equipment fitted to the specific vehicle they are considering, since safety technology can vary by configuration and model year. Nevertheless, the 2025 Mach-E combines substantial sales with consistently strong independent safety results, giving it a particularly persuasive position in this group.
5. Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 sold 47,039 units in the United States in 2025, ranking fifth among the country’s best-selling electric vehicles. Beyond its strong market performance, it also demonstrated impressive safety credentials, earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for the 2025 model year.
That recognition is especially significant because IIHS strengthened its testing requirements for 2025, with greater attention to protection for occupants in the second row.
The Ioniq 5 earned good ratings across all three major IIHS crashworthiness tests, including the small overlap front, updated moderate overlap front, and updated side evaluations. It also received a good rating for its whiplash prevention performance.
These results indicate that the vehicle performed consistently across several types of simulated collisions rather than relying on one particularly strong test result.
Its crash-avoidance scores are slightly more mixed. Headlight ratings vary by trim, ranging from Good to Acceptable, while its standard pedestrian front crash prevention system received an Acceptable rating.
That is still a passing result under IIHS award requirements, but it does not match the stronger pedestrian-protection performance of vehicles that receive a Good rating. The Ioniq 5 also comes with standard blind-spot detection, lane departure warning and prevention, and rear automatic braking.
The updated side test is worth examining because it evaluates protection for both front and rear occupants. IIHS reported good overall performance, although the driver’s torso and rear passenger’s pelvis received acceptable injury-measure ratings.
Those individual results do not change the vehicle’s good overall test grade, but they show why examining the detailed results can provide more information than looking at an award badge alone.
The Ioniq 5 is therefore one of the strongest safety performers among the seven best-selling EVs. Its Top Safety Pick+ award, combined with Good ratings across the main crashworthiness tests, gives buyers substantial independent evidence of its protective capabilities.
6. Honda Prologue
Honda sold an estimated 39,194 Prologue electric SUVs in the United States during 2025, putting the model sixth in Cox Automotive’s ranking. Its IIHS results are more complicated than those of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Ford Mustang Mach-E.
The Prologue performed well in several important tests, but its Acceptable small overlap front rating prevents it from being described as a consistently top-rated crash performer.
The 2025 Prologue received Good ratings in the updated moderate overlap front and updated side tests. Its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system also earned Good, while pedestrian front crash prevention and headlights received Acceptable ratings.
The model additionally earned Good ratings for its seatbelt reminders and LATCH child-seat installation hardware. These results show that Honda equipped the electric SUV with useful safety technology and achieved strong performance in several areas.
The small overlap front evaluation reveals its most important weakness. Although the driver’s side received a Good rating, the passenger-side result was lower, bringing the combined rating down to Acceptable.
IIHS reported that the passenger dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before moving into the gap between the frontal and side-curtain airbags. That movement left the head vulnerable to contact with forward structures. The passenger-side structure itself performed well, but occupant movement affected the final evaluation.
The updated moderate overlap test also deserves attention. The Prologue earned a Good overall rating, although the rear passenger’s chest protection and restraint performance received Acceptable grades.
This illustrates why a vehicle’s overall test rating should not be treated as proof that every seating position offers identical protection.
The Prologue is not an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2025. Its results are respectable in several categories, but the weaker passenger-side small overlap performance separates it from the EVs that earned the institute’s highest recognition.
Buyers should consider both its positive results and this specific limitation when comparing electric SUVs.
7. Ford F-150 Lightning
The Ford F-150 Lightning recorded 27,307 U.S. sales in 2025, placing it seventh among the country’s best-selling electric vehicles. As an all-electric version of one of America’s most familiar pickup trucks, it attracts buyers who want full-size truck capability without a gasoline powertrain.
However, its IIHS results reveal a significant safety concern that deserves attention, particularly for families who regularly carry passengers in the rear seats.
The 2025 F-150 Lightning received a Poor rating in IIHS’s updated moderate overlap front crash test. This evaluation is especially important because it examines protection for both front and rear occupants.
The driver’s injury measures and restraints performed well, but the rear passenger results were substantially weaker. IIHS rated rear passenger head and neck protection Marginal, chest protection Poor, and rear passenger restraints and dummy movement Poor.
These findings indicate that the rear seating position did not provide the level of protection expected in this test.
The Lightning performed better in other safety categories. Its headlights received an Acceptable rating, while its standard pedestrian front crash prevention system earned Good. Seatbelt reminders also received Good, but its LATCH child-seat installation hardware was rated Marginal.
IIHS lists blind-spot detection, lane departure warning and prevention, and rear automatic braking among its standard safety features.
One important caveat is that the Lightning has yet to receive a full set of IIHS crashworthiness ratings across all major evaluation categories.
Its Poor moderate overlap result should not be mistaken for a Poor rating in every crash scenario. Nevertheless, the rear-passenger findings are serious and should not be overlooked.
Among the seven best-selling EVs in this article, the F-150 Lightning has one of the most concerning individual crash-test outcomes. Its useful driver-assistance technology does not erase the weaknesses identified in the updated moderate overlap test.
