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.
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.
| Tesla Cybertruck | Rivian R1T | |
| Small Overlap Front | Good | Good |
| Moderate Overlap Front | Good | Acceptable |
| Side | Good | Good |
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.
Crash Prevention: More Good News For Tesla
IIHS/YouTube
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.
| Tesla Cybertruck | Rivian R1T | |
| Headlights | Good | Acceptable |
| Front Crash Prevention (vehicle-to-vehicle) | Good | Acceptable |
| Front Crash Prevention (pedestrian) | Good | Good |
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
Tesla
Rivian
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.
About the author
Karl Furlong
Senior Editor, Autoblog