Audi has claimed more IIHS 2025 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards than any other luxury brand, underscoring the company’s continued focus on occupant protection as it rolls out a new generation of vehicles across both combustion and electric platforms. The all-new Audi Q5, Q5 Sportback, and A6 Sportback e-tron have each earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest safety accolade, expanding Audi’s total to seven TOP SAFETY PICK+ recipients for the 2025 model year.
The latest additions join the Audi A5, Q7, Q6 e-tron, and Q6 Sportback e-tron on the list, placing Audi ahead of every other luxury manufacturer in IIHS top-tier safety recognition. For Audi, the achievement is especially notable because it spans two entirely new architectures. The Premium Platform Combustion underpins the new Q5 and Q5 Sportback, while the Premium Platform Electric serves as the foundation for the A6 Sportback e-tron. Both platforms integrate comprehensive standard and available safety technologies, now validated by one of the industry’s most demanding independent testing bodies.
Earning a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating became significantly more challenging for 2025, following revisions to the IIHS moderate-overlap front crash test. The updated evaluation simulates a 40 mph head-on collision with 40 percent front overlap, but now places additional emphasis on rear-seat occupant protection. A new test dummy representing a smaller passenger is positioned in the second row behind the driver, and injury measurements focus on those most commonly sustained by rear-seat occupants. The Audi Q5, Q5 Sportback, and A6 Sportback e-tron all achieved the highest possible “good” rating in this revised test, a requirement for the coveted “plus” designation.
‘
Beyond the moderate-overlap assessment, the three models also posted “good” ratings in the small overlap front and updated side impact tests, along with “acceptable” or “good” results in pedestrian front crash prevention, evaluated in both daytime and nighttime conditions. Headlight performance, another critical criterion, also met IIHS standards. The A6 Sportback e-tron earned a “good/acceptable” rating, while the Q5 and Q5 Sportback received “acceptable” ratings following refinements to the factory headlight aiming process designed to improve visibility and reduce glare. As a result, Q5 and Q5 Sportback models produced after July 2025 qualify for the award under the updated criteria.
For Audi, these results reinforce a broader strategy centered on safety, quality, and technical rigor as the brand transitions into its next chapter. With an avalanche of new product launches, new platforms supporting both ICE and electric drivetrains and independent validation from IIHS, Audi’s latest models prove safety engineering remains a core pillar of the brand’s value proposition.