For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Tesla Model S doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sonata Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model S doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sonata Hybrid Limited has standard Reverse Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Model S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Sonata Hybrid Limited has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model S only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sonata Hybrid’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model S doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.
The Sonata Hybrid has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model S doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.
Both the Sonata Hybrid and the Model S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is safer than the Tesla Model S:
|
|
Sonata Hybrid |
Model S |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
346 |
362 |
| Neck Stress |
98 lbs. |
196 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
29/21 lbs. |
292/295 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is safer than the Tesla Model S:
|
|
Sonata Hybrid |
Model S |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
288 |
449 |
| Spine Acceleration |
38 G’s |
46 G’s |
| Hip Force |
577 lbs. |
785 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sonata Hybrid the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model S does not qualify as a “Top Safety Pick.”