Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5. [YONHAP]

Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5 is safer than Tesla’s Model 3, according to a government test.  
 
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday that a safety test conducted by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority compared the two models. The Ioniq 5 EV received a score of 92.1 points out of 100 compared to the Model 3’s 83.3 points.  
 
The Ioniq 5 got 98.8 points for safety against collision; 68.2 for safety against collision with pedestrians; and 95.9 for its accident precaution system.
 
While in collision tests, Hyundai’s EV met safety standards, it lost points for safety of the driver and passengers in the back seat during a head-on collision.  
 
The car’s high-voltage electrical system did not catch fire during the collision test and, after a crash, the doors still opened.   
 
In testing for possible collisions with pedestrians using dummies and simulations, the materials and design of the bumper was found to absorb shocks, preventing major injuries. Testing for possible head injuries found that the materials used in the vehicle and the design of its hood reduced the possibility of critical injury.
 
Its autonomous emergency braking system received high scores while other accident prevention features such as a lane assist system also received a perfect score.  
 
The Ioniq lost points for its rear cross traffic alert system and its optional blind spot detection system.  
 
Tesla’s Model 3 did better on the collision safety test, earning 99.6 points, but scored lower on its testing on safety against collision with pedestrians (58.4) and accident prevention system (59.5).  
 
The Model 3’s high-voltage electrical system did not catch fire or explode and doors still opened after a crash.  
 
The safety of the bumper received high scores. However, the hood was designed in a way that could cause a critical head injury during a collision. 
 
The autonomous emergency braking system failed to detect and respond to bicycles at a crosswalk. 
 
The vehicle’s automatic warning system that is supposed to alert a driver when the vehicle drifts into another lane failed to go off in some conditions. 
 
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Tesla’s Model 3 are the most popular EVs in Korea.  
 
As of July, 8,628 Ioniq 5s have been sold and 6,297 Model 3s.  
 
“As we are in a period in which transition towards future cars is happening quickly, we are trying to set a new evaluation paradigm that is more sophisticated,” said Kim Jung-hee, head of the ministry’s automobile policy department.  
 
The ministry said it is testing nine internal combustion engine vehicles, and the results will be announced in October.  
 

BY LEE HO-JEONG [[email protected]]