Audi A6 joins six other Audi models awarded IIHS 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, earning Audi more IIHS 2026 TSP+ awards than any other luxury brand
Audi of America announced that the 2026 Audi A6 has earned a 2026 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, the organization’s highest vehicle safety recognition. As the seventh Audi model to receive a 2026 IIHS TSP+ designation, the A6 exemplifies the brand’s commitment to delivering innovative engineering, occupant protection technologies, and driver assistance systems.
The A6 sedan arrived as all-new for the 2026 model year, as the brand’s ninth-generation upper mid-sized luxury sedan with more performance, refinement, and technology than the previous generation. Synthesizing driving precision and everyday refinement as a perfect balance between sportiness and comfort, the A6 sedan embodies the driving experience for which the A6 model line is best known, while also sporting a high-level of standard active and passive driver assistance features.
The 2026 A6 secured the TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation following its strong performance across IIHS crashworthiness, crash avoidance and lighting evaluations. The A6 earned “Good” ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash tests, while also achieving qualifying ratings for headlights and front crash prevention systems.
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.
Seven Audi models have received the highest and now most difficult to earn 2026 IIHS safety-testing accolades, more than any other luxury brand as of July 2026. These models include:
- 2026 Audi A5
- 2026 Audi A6
- 2027 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron
- 2026 Audi Q5
- 2026 Audi Q5 Sportback
- 2027 Audi Q6 e-tron
- 2027 Q6 Sportback e-tron
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.