2026 Audi A5 Safety Rating

Midsize luxury cars Β· Current IIHS listing Β· IIHS source checked 2026-09-16

Complete evidence record

The 2026 Audi A5 scores 94.7/100, ranking #1 of 5 current midsize luxury cars and #29 of 136 vehicles overall with complete IIHS records. It holds the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award in the 2026 award cycle.

Every primary IIHS test is rated Good. Rear-passenger restraints in the updated moderate-overlap test: Acceptable; rear-passenger head protection: Good.

Which build and equipment does this score describe?

Latest applicable build; standard AEB and lowest current-trim headlight rating. Headlights use the lowest rating among applicable current trims; this is a conservative equipment baseline, not a claim that every trim has identical results. Confirm the production date and equipment of the car you are buying.

Headlights: baseline Good
  • Good β€” (1) Trim level(s): Premium Plus trim
  • Good β€” (2) Trim level(s): Premium trim
  • Good β€” (3) Trim level(s): Prestige trim
Pedestrian crash prevention: baseline Good
  • Good β€” standard Active Front Assist. Rating applies to all 2026 models
Vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention 2.0: baseline Good
  • Good β€” standard Active Front Assist. Rating applies to all 2026 models

Optional-system results are shown separately. Combining the best rating from different packages does not establish that one purchasable configuration earns them all. Check IIHS equipment details.

94.7
Safety score / 100
Complete record
TSP+
IIHS award
IIHS Top Safety Pick+
#1
of 5 midsize luxury cars
$50,200
Starting MSRP
Approximate base trim
23
Class driver death rate
per million vehicle-years; all vehicles 38

IIHS crash-test results

Front Crash Prevention: PedestrianGood
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-VehicleGood
Small Overlap Front Good
Moderate Overlap Front: Updated Test Good
Side: Updated Test Good
Headlights Good
Seat Belt Reminders Marginal
Latch Ease Of Use Good
Detailed results by test (54 entries)

IIHS publishes these under the test they belong to, so the same label can appear more than once. Rear restraints and kinematics, rear head protection, structure and safety cage, and front restraints are the four that count toward the score (25%).

Small overlap front

Rating applies to 2026 models

Overall driver-side evaluation Good
Structure and safety cage Good
Driver injury measures
Head/neck Good
Chest Good
Hip/thigh Good
Lower leg/foot Good
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Small overlap front

Rating applies to 2026 models

Overall passenger-side evaluation Good
Structure and safety cage Good
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck Good
Chest Good
Hip/thigh Good
Lower leg/foot Acceptable
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Good
Driver injury measures
Head/neck Good
Chest Good
Hip/thigh Good
Lower leg/foot Good
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good

Moderate overlap front: updated test

Rating applies to 2026 models

Overall evaluation Good
Structure and safety cage Good
Driver injury measures
Head/neck Good
Chest Good
Thigh/hip Good
Leg/foot Good
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Good
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck Good
Chest Good
Thigh Good
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics Acceptable

Side: updated test

Rating applies to 2026 models

Overall evaluation Good
Structure and safety cage Good
Driver injury measures
Head/neck Good
Torso Acceptable
Pelvis Good
Driver head protection Good
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck Good
Torso Acceptable
Pelvis Good
Rear passenger head protection Good

Headlights

Β· (1) Trim level(s): Premium Plus trim

Overall rating Good

Headlights

Β· (2) Trim level(s): Premium trim

Overall rating Good

Headlights

Β· (3) Trim level(s): Prestige trim

Overall rating Good

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0

Rating applies to all 2026 models Β· standard Active Front Assist

Overall evaluation Good

Front crash prevention: pedestrian

Rating applies to all 2026 models Β· standard Active Front Assist

Overall evaluation Good

Seat belt reminders

Rating applies to 2026 models

Overall evaluation Marginal

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2026 models

Overall evaluation Good
View the IIHS report

Opens on iihs.org in a new tab

How the score is built

Primary IIHS tests (55%)
100.0
4/4 reported Β· small overlap, updated moderate overlap, updated side, headlights
Occupant-protection details (25%)
90.0
4/4 reported Β· rear restraints, rear head, safety cage, front restraints
Pedestrian front crash prevention (10%)
100.0
IIHS pedestrian AEB result: Good Β· vehicle-to-vehicle: Good (shown, not scored)
Class context (10%)
71.9
Damped class-level driver death-rate term; award status is shown above but carries no weight
Rear-seat-priority score
92.2
Family safety view: extra weight given to rear-seat passenger protection
Injury-measure average (tiebreak only)
97.5
Average of 40 IIHS injury ratings across frontal and side tests (used only as a tiebreaker).

See our full scoring methodology and rules β†’

IIHS crash-test videos

These videos are embedded on IIHS’s ratings page for this model. The tested vehicle may be an earlier model year or a related version whose results IIHS applies to this vehicle. Check the test description and source for the exact coverage.

Load a player to watch on this page, or use the YouTube link. Video footage helps explain the test; the published injury measurements and ratings are the basis for comparison.

Real-world context

MeasureResultWhat it covers
Class driver death rate23 per million registered vehicle-yearsMidsize luxury cars as a class, adjusted for driver age and sex (Farmer, 2023); all vehicles average 38. Class context only.

Compared with other midsize luxury cars

Closest-scoring current midsize luxury cars with complete IIHS records, plus the class leader. See every midsize luxury car ranked β†’

VehicleClass rankIIHS awardRear restraintsStarts atScore
2026 Audi A5 (this page) #1 of 5 TSP+ Acceptable $50,200 94.7
2026 Mercedes-Benz C Class #2 of 5 TSP Good $49,650 93.3
2026 Tesla Model 3 #3 of 5 β€” Good $36,990 91.7
2026 BMW 3 Series #4 of 5 β€” Marginal $47,500 84.2
2026 Audi A3 #5 of 5 β€” Good $40,100 79.7

Our analysis

The 2026 Audi A5 belongs to the Midsize luxury cars class. This class has a below-average driver death rate compared with the national average of 38 deaths per million registered vehicle-years. The class figure is adjusted for driver age and sex, which removes a large part of the selection effect in raw death rates. It is still a class average, not a measurement of this model.

The Audi A5 earned Top Safety Pick+ in the 2026 award cycle. That award requires Good results in the updated tests plus qualifying headlights and pedestrian front crash prevention on the relevant trims; the linked IIHS report shows the exact trims.

Across the 6 IIHS rating categories reported, the Audi A5 earned 5 Good ratings. One result sits below Good; the verdict at the top of the page names it.

This analysis is produced independently; we have no affiliation with Audi or any manufacturer. Read the full methodology or learn more about us.

International crash-test results

Euro NCAP (2024)
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
Adult: 90% Β· Child: 88% Β· Pedestrian: 74% Β· Safety assist: 80%

Euro NCAP and ANCAP results are provided for reference. Because market versions can differ in structure and equipment, they are not factored into the US score.

Safety recalls for the 2026 Audi A5

We do not have a verified NHTSA recall lookup for this model and year. An unmatched or unavailable lookup is not evidence of a clean recall record.

Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-16. A recall applies to a range of build dates, not necessarily every car of this model year, so confirm against your own VIN. Recalls do not affect the safety score on this page.

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2026 Audi A5 safety score 94.7 out of 100

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Questions about the 2026 Audi A5

Is the 2026 Audi A5 a safe car?

The 2026 Audi A5 scores 94.7/100 in our published formula and ranks #1 of 5 current midsize luxury cars with complete IIHS records. It holds the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.

What is the 2026 Audi A5 IIHS rating?

IIHS reports: small overlap front = Good; moderate overlap front: updated test = Good; side: updated test = Good; headlights = Good; seat belt reminders = Marginal; latch ease of use = Good.

Is the 2026 Audi A5 an IIHS Top Safety Pick?

Yes. The 2026 Audi A5 is a IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for the 2026 award cycle.

How does the 2026 Audi A5 compare with other midsize luxury cars?

The class leader is the 2026 Audi A5 at 94.7/100. The comparison table on this page lists the closest-scoring current midsize luxury cars with complete records.