Tesla Model 3 dubbed as car with best headlights in Top 5 list

A Tesla Model 3 driving at night. (Photo: Andres GE)

The Tesla Model 3 has been dubbed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) as the car with the best headlights in the market today. The rankings were part of a list from the insurance institute ranking the Top 5 cars currently available that are equipped with the best and worst headlights.

Updated: The IIHS did not comprise a list of Top 5 Best and Worst Headlights. The list was made available by YouTube channel The Fast Lane Car. The IIHS did give the Tesla Model 3 a “Good” ranking in terms of headlight quality.

The Tesla Model 3’s headlights received a “Good” rating, the highest possible score, from the IIHS due to the their impressive visibility when testing on straightaways and curves. Among the cars that the IIHS tested, the Model 3’s headlights proved the best, hitting the right amount of illumination without being too bright for other motorists.

The Model 3’s headlights have not always received a “Good” rating from the IIHS. During its initial tests with an early production Model 3, the institute gave the all-electric sedan’s headlights an “Acceptable” rating due to glare exhibited by the vehicle’s low beams. This score was later revised when the IIHS evaluated a later Model 3 build (June 2018 or later), which received the elusive “Good” headlight rating.

A vehicle’s headlights can obtain one of the four IIHS ratings, “Good,” “Acceptable,” “Marginal,” and “Poor.” The car is then placed on a set starting point and rated in “Lux,” a unit of measurement for headlights. In order to obtain a “Good” rating, the headlight must provide 500 feet of illumination on a straightaway, and between 225 and 275 feet of light, all while emitting 5 lux of light.

All Tesla vehicles feature LED reflector headlights for both high beam and low beam functionality. The IIHS relies on a headlight’s low beam performance more heavily than its high beams. This is due to usage during normal driving, where low beams are utilized more often than high beams. Fortunately for the Model 3, the presence of automated functions also helped its headlights’ overall score with the IIHS.

Other that made the Top 5 best headlights list were the Lexus ES350 and Mercedes Benz C-Class at 5th place, the Toyota Camry at 4th, the Genesis G90 at 3rd, and the Honda Insight at 2nd. Quite interestingly, the five vehicles that made it to the worst headlights list came from the same manufacturers that made some of the vehicles in the best headlights list.

These are the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 at 5th place, the Honda Civic and Acura ILX at 4th place, the Chevy Bolt at 3rd place, and the Toyota Yaris at 2nd place. Quite painfully, all of Volkswagen’s cars received “Poor” and “Marginal” ratings from the institute, resulting in the giving the German automaker’s entire car lineup the 1st place in its “worst headlights” list.

The IIHS’ recent Top 5 best and worst headlight rankings are limited to cars only and thus, do not include pickup trucks, SUVs, or crossovers.

You can watch the full video on the Top 5 Best and Worst cars with headlights below.

Joey Klender: Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his time at TESLARATI, Joey has broken several big stories, including the first images of the Tesla Model S Plaid, the imminent release of the 4680 Model Y through EPA certification, and several expansions to the Lucid AMP-1 factory in Arizona, to name a few. His stories have been featured in several publications, including Yahoo! Finance, Fox News, CNET, and Seeking Alpha. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
Related Post
Disqus Comments Loading...