Six Audi models earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, leading premium brands
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded six Audi models its highest safety rating, giving Audi more Top Safety Pick+ awards than any other premium brand in 2026.
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What Happened
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded six Audi models its highest safety rating, the TOP SAFETY PICK+, for 2026. Audi achieved more of these awards than any other premium brand this year, with the criteria becoming more stringent.
- Audi A5
- Audi Q5 SUV
- Audi Q5 Sportback
- Audi A6 Sportback e-tron
- Audi Q6 SUV e-tron
- Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron
- 2025: Optional allowed; 2026: Must be standard
- 2025: Acceptable; 2026: Good
For TOP SAFETY PICK+, vehicles must also achieve a good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test and at least an acceptable rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation, including tests with a motorcycle and semitrailer targets.
Why this matters
The awards highlight Audi's safety leadership as IIHS introduced stricter criteria for 2026, requiring top crash test performance and standard front crash prevention systems.
Terms in This Story
- IIHS
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent US organization that conducts vehicle safety tests.
- TOP SAFETY PICK+
- The highest safety rating awarded by IIHS, requiring top performance in crash tests and crash prevention systems.
- front crash prevention
- Systems that automatically brake or warn the driver to avoid or mitigate a collision.
- moderate overlap front test
- A crash test evaluating front impact with moderate overlap, emphasizing rear passenger safety.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.