Tesla Autopilot Scores Low for Driver Engagement in European Safety Rating

The Tesla Model 3's Autopilot scored just 36 when assessed on its ability to maintain a driver's focus on the road.

By Reuters | Updated: 1 October 2020 14:15 IST

Tesla Autopilot Scores Low for Driver Engagement in European Safety Rating

Tesla's Autopilot has been criticised by the US National Transportation Safety Board

Highlights

US National Transportation Safety Board has criticised Tesla's Autopilot
Mercedes GLE's system received the top rating
BMW 3-Series & Audi Q8 also received the highest rating of 'very good'

Tesla's Autopilot has ranked sixth in 10 driver assistance systems evaluated in a European safety assessment, scoring low on its ability to keep drivers engaged.

The Tesla Model 3's Autopilot scored just 36 when assessed on its ability to maintain a driver's focus on the road. But it gained the highest marks for performance and ability to respond to emergencies, receiving an overall score of 131 and a rating of 'moderate'.

In contrast, the Mercedes GLE's system, which had the highest overall score of 174 and received the top rating of 'very good', received a score of 85 for driver engagement. Most other vehicles had scores of 70 or above for driver engagement.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

The European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which worked with UK insurance group Thatcham Research, called the assessments the first consumer ratings specifically focused on driver assistance systems, technology that automates some tasks, including acceleration, braking and steering support.

Safety and insurance researchers have frequently warned of the risks of consumers overestimating the systems' abilities, a misconception increased by some automakers calling their products Autopilot, ProPilot or CoPilot.

Tesla's Autopilot has been criticised by the US National Transportation Safety Board for allowing drivers to turn their attention from the road and US regulators have investigated 15 crashes since 2016 involving Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot.

Tesla's Autopilot Engaged in Fatal Florida Crash, Finds NTSB

"Unfortunately, there are motorists that believe they can purchase a self-driving car today. This is a dangerous misconception that sees too much control handed to vehicles that are not ready to cope with all situations," said Matthew Avery, a Euro NCAP board member and research director at Thatcham Research.

In addition to the Mercedes GLE, the BMW 3-Series and the Audi Q8, received the highest rating of 'very good' while two models, the Renault Clio and the Peugeot received the lowest rating of 'entry'.

Tesla's Key Statistic in Autopilot Defence Comes Under Scrutiny

© Thomson Reuters 2020

Will Xbox Series S, PS5 Digital Edition fail in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.