Electric vehicles tend to perform very well in crash-safety tests, due to how their bodies are structured. Heavy batteries help create a lower center of gravity, while the absence of an engine allows designers more space to create effective crumple zones. The Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T pickups are two of the biggest EVs around, so their sheer size can also improve crash safety. But how do they compare to each other? And how do they perform when it comes to crash prevention? To answer those questions, we’ve compared the latest safety ratings for both pickups from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Let’s see which one is safest.

Related: Ford F-150 Vs. Chevy Silverado 1500 Vs. Ram 1500: Which Pickup Is The Safest?

Crashworthiness: Cybertruck Takes The Lead

The IIHS runs three core crashworthiness tests: small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side. These tests collectively evaluate how a vehicle performs in different scenarios, whether it’s an offset crash with another car or hitting something with the front corner. Each test is rated as Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor. Here’s how the two vehicles compared.

While there are no red flags for either pickup, the Cybertruck performed better in the moderate overlap front test, where many other full-size pickups tend to struggle. In this particular evaluation, the Tesla’s rear passenger restraints and dummy kinetics received a Good rating, while the Rivian’s rating was Marginal. That brought down the Rivian’s overall score and prevented it from attaining a Top Safety Pick+ award. The Cybertruck achieved this and is the only tested full-size pickup to do so.

Both pickups generally performed well in crash tests.

Related: Tesla Cybertruck Vs. Ford F-150 Lightning Safety Ratings—Which Truck Is Safer?

Crash Prevention: More Good News For Tesla

In this category, the IIHS assesses a vehicle’s ability to avoid a crash with another vehicle or a pedestrian. Headlights are also tested for effectiveness.

Once again, the Cybertruck achieved only Good ratings—it easily lives up to Tesla’s generally excellent reputation for safety. The Rivian’s headlights and vehicle-to-vehicle crash-prevention system were rated as Acceptable. On curves, the Cybertruck’s high beams were more effective than the Rivian’s. In vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance, the Cybertruck warned the driver of a possible collision more effectively than the Rivian did.

As in the crashworthiness category, the Rivian isn’t bad at all, but there are a few gaps where its performance could be perfected.

Final Verdict: Tesla Builds The Safest Pickup

Things may change in the future, but 2026 IIHS ratings show that the Tesla is the only pickup of any size to achieve the organization’s Top Safety Pick+ award. Pickup safety has improved in recent years, but still lags behind other body styles of vehicle, where Top Safety Pick+ awards are more commonly earned. The Cybertruck beats its R1T rival in these tests, although the Rivian can’t be described as unsafe—it still held up well in crash tests and put in a solid performance for crash prevention.

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A TeslaCybertruck owner from Houston, Texas is suing the automaker for $1 million after a terrifying incident that she claims put her and her infant’s lives in danger.

The all-electric truck, which was allegedly operating on Full Self Driving (FSD) mode when the incident happened in August 2025, was caught on camera nearly going off an overpass barrier on Houston’s 69 Eastex Freeway.

As the footage shows, had the Cybertruck not hit a lighting pole that sent it ricocheting it back, it would have probably flown off the overpass, plunging more than 30 feet and likely crashing into other vehicles. Nevertheless, the impact was violent and the woman claims she suffered multiple injuries, which is why she’s sued Tesla last month in a liability and negligence case.

Tesla Telemetry Data Holds the Key to This Case

“On August 18, 2025, our client Justine Saint Amour was driving her Tesla Cybertruck on Houston’s 69 Eastex Freeway with Autopilot engaged,” attorney Bob Hilliard told FOX Business. “Something terrifying happened, without warning, the vehicle attempted to drive straight off an overpass.”

Dashcam footage of the incident shows the vehicle driving normally before it was supposed to follow a right-hand curve at a Y-shaped overpass. Instead of doing so, the Tesla veered slightly right and continued straight ahead, crashing violently into a concrete barrier on the overpass. Parts of the vehicle can be seen flying off in the video as it ricocheted from the impact.

Now here comes the tricky part. The woman’s lawyer claims she had tried to disengage the driver assistance feature to take control of the wheel just before the crash. However, her Tesla Cybertruck was already too far in motion for any intervention to be effective, the law firm said. Basically, the argument is that the driver wanted to take over the vehicle when she saw it heading in the wrong direction, but the system didn’t allow her to.

It remains to be seen if this argument holds up in court, as Tesla may counter-argue that the accident happened on the driver’s watch after FSD had disengaged. It all depends on whether FSD was active at the time of the crash, and Tesla telemetry data should show that.

“She tried to take control, but crashed into the barrier and was seriously injured (mostly her shoulder, neck, and back),” lawyer Bob Hilliard said. Saint Amour also suffered two herniated discs in her lower back and one in the neck, as well as sprained tendons in her wrist and nerve damage to her right hand. Fortunately, the 1-year-old child, who was in the backseat during the incident, was unharmed, according to local TV station Khou 11.

Yet Another Case Alleging Tesla Is Misrepresenting Its ADAS Capabilities

The lawsuit, filed in Harris County District Court, accused Tesla of misrepresenting the capabilities of its driver-assistance system and being negligent in the design of its Autopilot feature. It also alleged that the EV maker failed to incorporate safety mechanisms such as more effective emergency braking systems or LiDAR.

The lawyer said Tesla’s self-driving “relies on cheap video cameras alone” and the vehicle “lacks a proper driver alert system to ensure drivers are ready to take over driving.”

Tesla hasn’t commented on this particular case yet. The EV maker was recently forced to comply with California regulations over false advertising claims related to its Autopilot and Full Self Driving features.

The California DMV said the use of these terms is misleading and a violation of state law. As a result, Tesla is now referring to Full Self-Driving as ‘Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” and Autopilot as ‘Traffic Aware Cruise Control” in California marketing. That said, Tesla filed a lawsuit last month to reverse the “false advertiser” ruling, arguing the DMV did not prove consumers were actually confused.

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