The Lincoln Continental (F), the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (DDAIF) and the Toyota Avalon (TM) come out at the top of a group of six large cars recently evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The three cars qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK+, the Institute’s highest award. The Tesla Model S (TSLA), the Chevrolet Impala (GM) and the Ford Taurus fall short of any award because they each earn only an acceptable rating in the small overlap front test. The Tesla Model S initially had earned an acceptable rating in the small overlap test, which represents the type of crash that occurs when the front driver-side corner of a vehicle hits a tree or utility pole or collides with another vehicle. The main problem with the performance of the Model S was that the safety belt let the dummy’s torso move too far forward, allowing the dummy’s head to strike the steering wheel hard through the airbag.Tesla made changes to the safety belt in vehicles built after January with the intent of reducing the dummy’s forward movement. However, when IIHS tested the modified Model S, the same problem occurred, and the rating didn’t change.