The European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) has released its second round of driver-assist ratings. Even though electric car has the best technology yet, the Model 3 came away with a mediocre score in the test.
Driver involvement is a key factor, and Tesla's Autopilot system "encourages the driver to give up too much control," according to testers.
The test results don't show that its systems are bad, quite the opposite. The company had the top score in vehicle assistance, which means that automatic braking, lane keeping and other systems work well.
The Model 3 also beat all rivals in the “backup safety” category, as it can handle system failure, unresponsive driver, and collision avoidance with aplomb.
According to NCAP, however, the problems lie in a category called “driver engagement.” Testers said the marketing doesn’t match the vehicle’s manual and could lead drivers to believe the Tesla Model 3 does more than just assist.
"Many aspects of it are exemplary. The vehicle assistance is the best we have seen in testing and it also won the safety element," wrote Thatcham Research, an independent group that carried out the tests.
“However, it achieves a mediocre score for poor driver, with a design philosophy that is very much about the vehicle doing the driving. This would be appropriate for an automated vehicle – but this test is for assisted vehicles.”
Mercedes' GLE, BMW's 3 Series and Audi's Q8 came out on top. While they couldn't match the Model 3's level of technology, they struck "a good balance between offering a high level of assistance but keeping the driver engaged and in control of the drive," according to the team.
The Tesla car came in sixth out of 10, above the Nissan Juke but below the Volkswagen Passat. In this case, NCAP reinforces what other safety agencies have said: Tesla's self-driving systems, even the name "Autopilot," could give consumers the wrong impression about its capabilities.
