What happened
Euro NCAP, the European car safety testing program, published its first gradings of highway assistants on 1 October 2020. It tested Autopilot on a Tesla Model 3 running software version 2020.36.10. The car avoided a collision in every adaptive cruise control test and needed emergency braking only in the hardest cut-in and cut-out cases. It stayed centered in its lane through an S-bend at every test speed. For an unresponsive driver, it made a controlled stop in its lane. It scored 95% for safety backup and 91.7 of 100 points for vehicle assistance, the top scores of the ten cars. ADAC, the German motoring club, reported that the Model 3 had the most advanced assistance systems. Euro NCAP found that the system resisted the driver's steering and then switched off. It noted that the cabin camera was not used to monitor the driver and that the name Autopilot suggests full automation. With 36.5 of 100 points for driver engagement, the car was graded Moderate. The tests ran on tracks, so no crash outcome on public roads is reported.
Sources
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Assessment report, by authors with no tie to the system.
ADAC (Wolfgang Rudschies, with technical advice from Andreas Rigling of the ADAC Technik Zentrum Landsberg). Euro-NCAP-Test: Wie gut sind Autobahnassistenten? First published 1 October 2020, updated 7 December 2021. Section Darum gewinnt Mercedes - und nicht Tesla. ADAC reports Euro NCAP's highway assist tests of 2020 and 2021.
Schon 2020 fiel auf, dass das Tesla Model 3 die am weitesten entwickelten Assistenzsysteme hat. Mit 95 Punkten bei der Notfallassistenz (Safety Back-up) und 91 Punkten bei der technischen Assistenz schlug er den Mercedes GLE nicht um Längen, aber um immerhin 11 Punkte.
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Assessment report, by authors with no tie to the system.
Euro NCAP. Euro NCAP Launches Assisted Driving Grading. Press release, Leuven, 1 October 2020.
Tesla’s pioneering role in self-driving technology is reflected in its top scores for Vehicle Assistance and Safety Backup. However, its “Autopilot” system does little to keep the driver engaged.
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Assessment report, by authors with no tie to the system.
The Model 3 responds to avoid a collision in all the ACC test scenarios and requires AEB interventions only in the most critical cut-in and cut-out tests.
Details
AI system
- Reported configuration
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Software 2020.36.10
- Workflow
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Tesla uses map-based speed limit information on highways. The system adapts speed for curves and junctions ahead. Tesla can improve the system remotely with over-the-air software updates.
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
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The driver stays alert and keeps full control of the car at all times. The car checks only for the driver's hands on the wheel.
Entry details
- Sector
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Road vehicle crash avoidance / assisted driving.
- Purpose
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Tesla built Autopilot to assist the driver with speed, distance, steering and lane changes on highways.
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Cite this record
Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). Autopilot on the Model 3 assists best but engages drivers weakly (AIBD-0949). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 1 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-0949.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 7.0)