Are electric vehicles subject to different safety standards than gas vehicles?

What the Law Says

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act establishes the legal foundation for federal motor vehicle safety regulation in the United States — and it applies equally to all new motor vehicles, regardless of power source.

Under federal law, electric vehicles (EVs) are not exempt from — nor given special treatment under — the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The law defines a 'motor vehicle' broadly to include any vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power and manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways — which fully encompasses battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell vehicles.

The Act’s purpose is to reduce traffic accidents and deaths and injuries resulting from those accidents — a goal that applies uniformly across vehicle propulsion technologies. Because EVs share core safety-critical systems (braking, lighting, crashworthiness, occupant protection) with conventional vehicles, they must comply with the same FMVSS, such as those covering roof crush resistance (FMVSS 216), rear impact protection (FMVSS 301), and electronic stability control (FMVSS 126).

Statutory Text

The purpose of this chapter is to reduce traffic accidents and deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents.

— 49 U.S.C. § 30101 — Purpose and policy

What to Do

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