Audi earns six IIHS 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards, more than any other luxury brand

• With six IIHS 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awardees, the Audi lineup currently includes more 2026 IIHS TSP+ winners than any other luxury brand
• MY26 Audi A5, Q5, Q5 Sportback; MY27 A6 Sportback e‑tron, Q6 e‑tron, and Q6 Sportback e‑tron all garner the highest IIHS Top Safety designation
• Tougher for 2026 IIHS Top Safety awards criteria highlights ongoing Audi commitment to standard and available safety enhancing equipment

RESTON, Va., March 24, 2026 – Audi has earned more IIHS 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards than any other luxury brand as of March 2026. Six Audi models have received the highest and now more difficult to earn 2026 safety-testing accolade from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Receiving TOP SAFETY PICK+ designations for the 2026 model-year are the Audi A5, Q5, Q5 Sportback, and the 2027 model-year Audi A6 Sportback e‑tron, Q6 e‑tron, and Q6 Sportback e‑tron.

Audi earned the IIHS accolades even with 2026 award criteria becoming more stringent. The Institute updated its moderate overlap front test in 2022 to emphasize back seat safety, and in 2025 vehicles needed a good rating in this test to earn TOP SAFETY PICK+ but only an acceptable rating to earn TOP SAFETY PICK. For 2026, a good rating is now required for either award.

Crash avoidance requirements for TOP SAFETY PICK are the same as last year – an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test. For TOP SAFETY PICK+, however, vehicles must now earn a good rating in that test and an acceptable or good rating in the updated vehicle to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation introduced last year. In addition to a passenger car target, the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation also examines performance with a motorcycle target and a semitrailer.

Qualifying front crash prevention systems also must be standard for either award under IIHS’ new criteria update for 2026. As before, good ratings in the small overlap front and side tests are required for both awards, and all trims must come with acceptable- or good-rated headlights.

More details about how the updated 2026 awards criteria have changed and how required tests are conducted can be found in the “About our tests” section of the IIHS website, at www.iihs.org.

Audi of America Communications