Good news - Tesla vehicles provide top-ranked occupant protection in collisions.
Bad news - this protection stems from controlled deformation. Many structural elements are designed to gradually give way. This absorbs the collision’s energy over a long-enough period that human occupants do not experience excessive acceleration in the milliseconds following impact.
Several consequences:
- Grateful Tesla owners who can walk away from mishaps.
- Occasional claims that, “Airbags failed to deploy!” This happens after the folks in #1 above turn around, see the devastated vehicle and realize there are no airbags hanging limply. Airbags are the vehicle’s last defense. If it cannot absorb all the impact energy, airbags deploy to cushion the interior as the humans are subjected to extreme acceleration.
- More extensive structural damage than one might expect.
Use a Tesla-approved shop. Be prepared for two rounds of estimates. First round based on visible damage. Second round after they remove the exterior panels and assess the underlying structure.
I don’t know if British insurance compensates for diminished value-loss of resale value due to body work.