The 2017 Audi A4 earned the carmaker its fifth Top Safety Pick+ rating for 2016 from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) today—the highest score attainable. The IIHS rates all new vehicles by segment based on five crashworthiness evaluations as well as a separate front crash prevention rating, the latter made possible by active safety systems.
The other Audi models that currently hold the Top Safety Pick+ award are the 2017 Q7 and the 2016 Q5, A6, and A3. (As new model-year vehicles go on sale, new crash results get issued.)
Subaru tops the list of current IIHS award winners with six Top Safety Pick+ winners: 2016 Crosstrek, Impreza, WRX, Forrester, Legacy and Outback. Toyota and Honda are tied for second with five wins each. For Toyota, 2016 Prius, Camry, Prius v, RAV 4 and Highlander were garnered awards, while Honda’s 2016 Civic, Accord two-door, Accord four-door, CR-V and Pilot also grabbed top honors.
In the luxury category, other than Audi, only Volvo holds five awards: 2016 S60, V60, S80, XC60 and XC90. The next nearest is Lexus with four—CT 200h, ES 350, RC and NX. Runners up: BMW (2 Series, X1) and Mercedes-Benz (E-Class and GLE-Class).
Which luxury brands are conspicuously missing from the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ list? Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati and Tesla.