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 Elantra Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Elantra 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 3 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.
The Elantra Hybrid has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 3 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 Elantra Hybrid and the Model 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is safer than the Tesla Model 3:
|
Elantra Hybrid |
Model 3 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
22% |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
66/48 lbs. |
333/455 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is safer than the Tesla Model 3:
|
Elantra Hybrid |
Model 3 |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
355 lbs. |
556 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
184 |
384 |
Spine Acceleration |
40 G’s |
41 G’s |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Model 3 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.