The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) annually evaluates popular vehicles for crashworthiness and overall safety. However, sometimes one automaker will dominate a category or two. That’s the case for 2022; Audi was the dominant luxury car brand in midsize luxury cars and large SUVs. Check out how Audi made some of the safest luxury cars in the midsize segment with the 2023 Audi A4 and the A5. 

How was Audi the dominant luxury car brand in the midsize luxury car category?

Audi is the only luxury car brand in IIHS picks for the 2022 and 2023 model years to earn 10 out of 21 spots for Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards. That means the automaker secured nearly half of the segment’s awards, regardless of make or model. 

Volvo was the closest contender to the German luxury car brand in the category, with four Top Safety Pick+ awards for its conventional and hybridized S60 and V60 models. However, there is a caveat; Audi’s safest midsize luxury car models on the 2022 list include 2022 and 2023 model years and iterations with higher scores for the newer model year. Still, even models that failed to snag the “+” suffix received excellent ratings, save for some headlight evaluations. 

Is the Audi A3 a safe car?

The 2023 Audi A3 earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. That means the luxury car model earned a “Good” rating in every crashworthiness category. Moreover, the models received high scores in active and passive crash avoidance and mitigation measures. 

As a result, the 2023 Audi A3 earned a near-perfect scorecard from the IIHS. However, the model received a “Poor” rating in the seat belt reminders evaluation. The agency said the luxury car model’s seat belt alerts were “negligible,” citing short duration. 

Is the Audi A4 allroad a safe vehicle?

The 2023 Audi A4 and A4 allroad both earned Top Safety Pick+ ratings. Moreover, the luxury car brand’s 2022 A4 platform earned a five-star crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

However, the 2022 Audi A4 received a four-star rating in the frontal crash category, despite getting the highest overall rating the agency awards. Moreover, the 2022 Audi A4 and A4 allroad missed out on the “+” rating from the IIHS due to headlight performance in the Premium and Premium Plus trims. In some cases, the IIHS evaluators said the Premium models’ low beam performance could be “inadequate” in corners. 

Is the Audi A5 a safe car?

The 2023 Audi A5 Coupe and Sportback both earned Top Safety Pick+ ratings in the IIHS’ midsize luxury car category. That’s good news for fans of the luxury car brand’s coupes, as it’s the only two-door option in the segment with the top honors. 

Like the A3 and A4 platforms, the 2022 Audi A5 Coupe and Sportback didn’t earn the “+” rating. Instead, trim-specific headlight evaluations kept the models from the highest awards. 

Is an Audi or BMW safer?

Audi earned five Top Safety Pick+ and five Top Safety Pick awards in the midsize luxury car category for 2022, according to the IIHS. In comparison, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and venerable 3 Series were the Bavarian brand’s only midsize luxury car models on the list.