Tesla Cybertruck Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ — the Only Large Pickup Truck to Do It

Key Takeaways:

• The Tesla Cybertruck is the only large pickup truck to earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ under the stricter 2026 testing criteria
• The award covers the $59,990 Dual-Motor AWD trim that just started delivering this week
• A Tesla referral code adds 3 months of free Full Self-Driving (Supervised) — worth $297 at the current $99/month subscription price
• Q2 closes June 30 — 6 days from now — and end-of-quarter inventory deals are historically the best of the year
• The Cybertruck lease starts at $949/month for 36 months with $5,000 down

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the Tesla Cybertruck its highest rating — Top Safety Pick+ — making it the only large pickup truck in the United States to earn the designation under IIHS's stricter 2026 evaluation criteria.

What IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Means

IIHS Top Safety Pick+ is the institute's highest safety award. To earn it, a vehicle must receive Good ratings across all crashworthiness evaluations, earn Advanced or Superior front crash prevention ratings, and meet updated headlight performance standards. The 2026 criteria are tougher than prior years, with a revised side-impact test and stricter headlight requirements.

No other large pickup truck — not the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, or Toyota Tundra — has earned Top Safety Pick+ under these criteria. The Cybertruck stands alone.

Why It Matters for Buyers Right Now

The IIHS rating arrives at an inflection point for the Cybertruck lineup:

• $59,990 Dual-Motor AWD deliveries started this week. This is the most accessible Cybertruck ever — cheaper than most used Foundation Series units on Tesla's pre-owned inventory.
• A $949/month lease option is available for 36 months with $5,000 down — the first competitive CT lease Tesla has offered.
• Q2 closes in 6 days (June 30). Tesla historically offers its best inventory discounts and end-of-quarter incentives in the final week of the quarter.

The safety rating removes one of the last question marks for truck buyers considering the switch from a traditional pickup. The Cybertruck's stainless-steel exoskeleton and low center of gravity (battery floor) were always designed for crash performance, and the IIHS data now confirms it.

Current Cybertruck Pricing (June 2026)

How a Referral Code Stacks

A Tesla referral code gives Cybertruck buyers 3 months of free Full Self-Driving (Supervised) — a $297 value at the current $99/month subscription price. FSD is the only way to get advanced driver-assistance features on the Cybertruck AWD trim, which does not include basic Autosteer.

Here's how the savings stack for a $59,990 Dual-Motor AWD buyer this week:

The referral FSD trial is especially valuable on the Cybertruck: since the AWD trim has no basic Autosteer, the only way to get any autonomous driving capability is through an FSD subscription. The free 3-month trial lets buyers experience it before committing to $99/month.

The Bottom Line

The Cybertruck is now the safest large pickup truck in America by IIHS's measure, it starts at under $60,000 for the first time, and Q2's final week is historically when Tesla's best deals appear. If you've been waiting for the right signal to pull the trigger on a Cybertruck, the IIHS just gave you one.

Use a referral code at checkout to add 3 months of free FSD to your order. Get a Tesla Referral Code →

Last updated: 2026-06-24