Tesla Earns Five-Star Crash Rating

Crash Test: No Dummy

One day after watching its stock soar thanks to better than expected earning numbers, Tesla (and anyone else who clicked on the videos) had a chance to watch its Model S sedan ripped apart.

The Model S was put through its paces by the National Highway Transportation Safety Board, and it passed the crash test with flying colors. Gaining five out of a possible five stars, Telsa is now able to add top-notch safety to its lineup of attributes.

But will it sell more cars?

Tesla has to keep up, and even improve, its sales pace if it wants to continue to justify its sky-high stock price.

Insurance broker Ryan Sakamoto of San Jose says he thinks the crash tests will help.

"Everyone my age I know, thinking of starting a family wants safety," Sakamoto said. "It's the first thing. Everything else is out the window."

He has a good point.

We went to the Santana Row Tesla dealership and found a few people shopping. Safety was one of the things they cited in thinking about a Tesla. I imagine if you're paying somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000 for a car, you want it to be a safe neighborhood.

We sought out comment from Tesla, but the company declined.

Scott covers tech on Twitter: @scottbudman

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