Chevy has unveiled its new Tahoe SUV, and it’s a bit different than before. Not only has Chevy went all-in on the Tahoe’s size, but Chevy is also taking a cue from its trucks. The new Tahoe will be built based on the Silverado as part of Chevy’s platform program. This could mean that the new Tahoe will be more similar, safety-wise, to the Silverado than to older Tahoes.

Comparing it to the Silverado

Since the new Tahoe was only recently revealed, no safety agency has been able to do any tests on it yet, so the most we can do is speculate on just how safe the new Tahoe will be. Because the new Tahoe is built on the same platform as the new Silverado is, these two large vehicles may have a lot in common in terms of safety. 

In terms of the latest model year of the Silverado, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, gave the Silverado 4 out of 5 stars overall in its crash tests. The Silverado received 4 out of 5 stars in the front crash test category and 5 out of 5 stars in the side crash test category. Notably, the front driver-side of the Silverado did better than the front passenger-side did.

In terms of rollovers, the NHTSA gave the Silverado 4 out of 5 stars. Furthermore, the Silverado that the NHTSA tested didn’t have many smart safety features, so that may have hurt its grade. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, had similar things to say about the Silverado. 

Overall, the Silverado performed well in every crash test except for the front passenger-side one. The Silverado’s headlights were given a “Poor” rating, which is the worst rating that the IIHS gives, and the child seat anchors weren’t easy to use either, according to the IIHS.

Comparing it to the Tahoe

While the new Tahoe may be built on the same platform as the new Silverado is, the Tahoe, at the end of the day, is still a Tahoe, so it may be worth looking at how the old Tahoes performed in its safety tests.

The NHTSA also gave the latest model year of the Tahoe 4 out of 5 stars for safety. Like the Silverado, the latest Tahoe was given 4 out of 5 stars in the front crash test category and 5 out of 5 stars in the side crash test category. The latest Tahoe also did better on the driver-side crashes than it did in the passenger-side crashes. 

However, that’s where the Tahoe’s similarities with the Silverado ends. The NHTSA gave the Tahoe only 3 out of 5 stars in the rollover category. The NTHSA also says that the Tahoe has a nearly 23% chance of rolling over, which isn’t great. The IIHS on the other hand, did not perform any crash tests on any of the latest Tahoe model years. 

Potential additional safety features

The basic Silverado doesn’t come with many smart safety features because it’s meant to be a simple work truck. However, the most basic Tahoe may have more smart safety features, as most customers will expect that in an SUV meant for a big family.

For instance, the IIHS does mention that the Tahoe has easier to use child seat anchors than the Silverado does. This will likely stay true in the new Tahoe as well. On top of that, the NHTSA also mentions that smart safety features, such as forward collision warning and lane departure warning are optional on the Tahoe, so the new Tahoe may have those options as well.