Tesla Cybertruck And Ford F-150 Lightning Crash Tested — Which Is Safer?

The full-size electric pickup market is having a bit of a sales crash right now, but that hasn’t stopped the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) from crash testing some full-size electric pickups.

The organization has put the Tesla Cybertruck and F-150 Lightning through one of its most difficult evaluations and one came out on top.

The Moderate Overlap Front crash test involves sending a vehicle into a barrier at 40 mph with 40% of its front end colliding with it. It’s a newer test that puts different forces on the vehicle than a head-on impact and simulates a common type of real world crash.

Both the Cybertruck and F-150 Lightning already have 5-Star overall ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but it does not require this test.

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The Cybertruck received a Good rating on the IIHS test, which is the highest score, while the F-150 Lightning was rated Poor.

It’s not all bad news for the Ford, however, as its shortcomings were only with the rear seat passenger. According to the report, “measurements taken from the rear dummy showed a high risk of not only chest injuries but also injuries to the head or neck. In addition, the rear dummy’s lap belt moved from the ideal position on the pelvis onto the abdomen, which increases the risk of internal injuries.”

The results were flipped on the headlight test, where the F-150 Lightning was scored Acceptable, which is second best and followed by Marginal and Poor, the latter of which is what the Cybertruck scored due to excessive glare.

IIHS also put them through its pedestrian detecting automatic emergency braking evaluation, which uses a lifelike animatronic child that walks out from behind a parked car in front of the moving vehicle, and they both earned Good scores.

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There are two other crash tests and a few other evaluations required to determine if a vehicle gets a Top Safety Pick designation, but the IIHS doesn’t currently have plans to crash the Cybertruck and F-150 Lightning again and wouldn’t before next year, at the earliest.