News from 4 December 2019. This archive article was prepared in October 2026 and refers to the tests and protocols of the time.

The Falcon Wing doors made the Model X instantly recognisable, but one of its most important milestones happened away from spectacular presentations. On 4 December 2019, the Tesla Model X earned five Euro NCAP stars, scoring 98% for adult occupant protection and 94% for Safety Assist.

It was significant news for an electric SUV also designed for families. Behind the overall rating were crash tests, collision prevention systems and assessments covering children and vulnerable road users. Reading the individual results makes the achievement easier to understand without reducing it to a slogan.

Model X: the four Euro NCAP results from 2019

The five stars summarised several assessments. The four main categories received these scores:

  • Adult occupants: 98%.
  • Child occupants: 81%.
  • Vulnerable road users: 72%.
  • Safety Assist: 94%.

The 94% Safety Assist score matched the Model 3’s result that year. Euro NCAP highlighted the Model X among the results from that testing round, conducted under the 2018–2019 protocols. The comparison therefore belongs to that period; it is not a universal ranking of cars from every generation.

Crash protection and active safety systems

The passenger compartment remained stable in the offset frontal impact. The side barrier and side pole tests earned full marks for that part of the assessment. Automatic emergency braking contributed to the active safety results.

The overall picture matters more than a single number. Protection during an impact and the ability to avoid or mitigate a collision describe different aspects of safety. A high score in one category does not make the others irrelevant.

Details that should not be overlooked

There were also less impressive findings. In the frontal test, neck protection for the dummy representing a ten-year-old child was marginal. A universal child seat installation check failed in the optional third row in the configuration assessed. Pedestrian pelvis protection was poor.

These details help put the test into perspective: five stars do not mean there are no limitations in any individual test. Nor do they replace the vehicle and child seat instructions when arranging child transport.

How to read this historical result today

The 2019 result remains a documented Model X milestone. However, its Euro NCAP rating is listed as expired from 1 January 2026. This article therefore reconstructs the original news rather than presenting those five stars as a new rating valid for every current Model X.

For us, revisiting these results also raises a practical question: when assessing a car, do you focus on its overall star rating or look more closely at individual tests and collision prevention systems?

Sources: Euro NCAP’s release of 4 December 2019; Model X assessment and rating validity history; detailed test report.

Cover: archive Model X photograph taken on 23 December 2018 by Guillaume Vachey, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Cropped and overlaid with the original Teslhub PNG. This is not the crash-tested vehicle.

Alessandro Marmaglio
Read more from this author →