Not Its Best Year, But Not All Bad
Audi has been grappling with a challenging U.S. market after posting back-to-back annual sales declines, delivering 164,942 units last year – a stark contrast to BMW’s 388,897. One bright spot, however, is safety: Audi currently leads all luxury brands in 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ awards, earning six of the organization’s highest honors.
Safety may not be the kind of feature buyers can see on the showroom floor, but it remains a major factor in purchasing decisions for many, if not most, customers. Audi’s latest Top Safety Pick+ winners include the 2026 A5, Q5, and Q5 Sportback, as well as the 2027 A6 Sportback e-tron, Q6 e-tron, and Q6 Sportback e-tron.
The Current Leaderboard
Genesis, the luxury division of Hyundai Motor Group, follows Audi with five Top Safety Pick+ winners. BMW earned two, while Mercedes-Benz had none so far in the top category. Other luxury brands on the list, including Infiniti and Lexus, each received one. Overall, Mazda leads with eight TSP+ winners, ahead of Hyundai, which is tied with Audi at six.
Audi achieved the feat despite stricter criteria for 2026. The IIHS now requires a Good rating in the moderate overlap front test – up from Acceptable – to qualify for at least the lower-tier Top Safety Pick, part of its effort to improve protection for rear-seat passengers. It is also pushing for better crash avoidance systems, now requiring a Good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test and an Acceptable or Good rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation to earn the top honor.
Another new requirement is that qualifying front crash prevention systems must now come standard for either award.
Awards Are One Thing
How much this safety accomplishment will benefit Audi, if at all, remains to be seen. One reason it could matter is that the Q5 – one of the brand’s six 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners – is also its best-selling model. That TSP+ badge could make the Q5 a more appealing option against rivals such as the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.
However, the fight will likely be difficult, especially with a 25-percent tariff on imported vehicles, as it lacks a U.S. manufacturing facility. Still, Audi has already made some changes amid challenging times, including the appointment of a new president, Vito Paladino, who will officially assume the role on April 1.
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