The Cybertruck Is the Safest Full-Size Pickup in America. Just Don't Try That in Europe.
The 2025-2026 Tesla Cybertruck just earned IIHS Top Safety Pick+, the institute's highest designation. It's the only full-size pickup on the market to get it. The Ford F-150 didn't qualify. The Ram 1500 didn't qualify. The Toyota Tundra got a standard Top Safety Pick (the runner-up award). The Cybertruck got the top one.
I'll admit I didn't see that coming when Tesla first showed this thing.
What Changed After April 2025
This part matters: the Top Safety Pick+ award applies specifically to Cybertrucks built after April 2025. Tesla made structural changes, not just software updates. Front underbody reinforcements. Footwell modifications. These are the unglamorous things that determine how a vehicle actually behaves in a crash.
The test results back it up. The Cybertruck earned 'Good' ratings (IIHS's top score) in the small overlap front test for both driver and passenger sides, the updated moderate overlap front test, and the updated side crash test. A clean sweep of the major structural categories.
The Pedestrian Numbers Are Worth Reading
The standard front crash prevention system also earned a 'Good' rating in pedestrian scenarios. And the specifics are notable: the Cybertruck avoided every single pedestrian collision in IIHS testing. Daytime child crossings, nighttime adult crossings, night parallel adult scenarios. All of them. The Collision Avoidance Assist with automatic emergency braking comes standard, so this isn't something you have to spec separately.
The European Paradox
Here's where it gets interesting. The Cybertruck is banned from public roads in the UK and most of Europe. The reason: its sharp external edges and stainless-steel construction fail European pedestrian-protection standards.
So the vehicle that just avoided every pedestrian in IIHS testing can't legally drive past a pedestrian in Birmingham or Berlin. The 30X cold-rolled stainless steel that makes the exoskeleton so structurally strong is exactly what makes it illegal over there.
These are genuinely different safety frameworks. IIHS measures crash avoidance and occupant protection. European pedestrian standards measure what the vehicle exterior does to a human body on impact. The Cybertruck is apparently excellent at the first and fails the second.
But whether Tesla will ever redesign for European compliance is unclear. The stainless-steel exoskeleton isn't cosmetic. It's structural. Changing it would mean changing what the truck fundamentally is.
Meanwhile, the Cybercab Has No Pedals at All
Separate story, but connected enough to mention: the Cybercab entered mass production at Gigafactory Texas in April 2026. It has no steering wheel and no pedals, because it's designed exclusively for Tesla's Robotaxi fleet and no human is supposed to drive it.
NHTSA is revising FMVSS No. 135 to allow vehicles like this. The current rule requires standard manual brake systems on light-duty vehicles. The proposed revision removes the hand- or foot-operated brake control requirement for vehicles never intended for human operation. Stopping distance requirements still apply, just tested differently.
The regulatory infrastructure is, slowly, catching up to what Tesla is already building in volume.
What This Means If You're Shopping
If safety ratings factor into your purchase decision, the Cybertruck is objectively the top performer in the full-size pickup class right now. The F-150 and Ram 1500 aren't in the same conversation by IIHS standards. Just verify you're buying a unit built after April 2025, which at this point covers virtually everything on lots.
And if you're planning a move to Europe, leave the truck behind.
Source: Teslarati