The Lemon Index5,042crash reports, 2019-2026
88%from Tesla
65of 75 reported deaths were in a Tesla
88%of Tesla reports came from the car itself
Why that isn't a safety ranking
- Teslas report themselves. 88% of Tesla's reports came from the car's own data connection. For other brands it was 37%: most of them hear about a crash only if the owner complains or sues. A brand that doesn't get the data can't report it.
- No miles. The reports don't say how many miles each system drove. Tesla has the most cars with driver assist on the road, and owners use it a lot. More use means more crashes even at the same rate.
- Reported, not proven. A report means the system was on within 30 seconds of the crash. It doesn't say the system caused it. NHTSA itself warns against comparing brands with these reports.
Reports by brand
| Brand | Crash reports | Deaths reported | Reports from the car's own data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | 4,411 | 65 | 88% |
| Honda | 86 | 1 | 1% |
| Subaru | 66 | 1 | 5% |
| Cadillac | 55 | 1 | 100% |
| Ford | 54 | 3 | 30% |
| GMC | 54 | 0 | 96% |
| Chevrolet | 51 | 2 | 100% |
| Toyota | 37 | 1 | 11% |
| BMW | 32 | 0 | 9% |
| Kia | 25 | 0 | 0% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 22 | 0 | 27% |
| Rivian | 21 | 0 | 33% |
Tesla by model: Model Y 1,930 · Model 3 1,778 · Model X 323 · Model S 288 · Cybertruck 86. Level 2 driver assist only (Autopilot, Full Self-Driving (Supervised), Super Cruise, BlueCruise and similar), not robotaxis. NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 files (2021-2025 archive and the current file, updated October 2026). Duplicate and updated reports of the same crash are counted once.
What it means for you: these systems need your eyes on the road. The data can't say which brand's system is safest. It does show that crashes happen with all of them on.