If you’re carrying precious cargo, you’ll want to be roaming the highways in the safest vehicles out there. Here’s the best of what VW and Audi have to offer.
Safety First
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the vehicles sold in the US annually and awards the best of the best with one of their two tiers of awards: Top Safety Pick, and Top Safety Pick +. Audi and Volkswagen have a healthy presence in the winners’ circle this year, as Audi came away with 5 Top Safety Pick awards, two of which are coupe variants, which is why we’re counting them as having won 3. Volkswagen was the recipient of three such awards, with one being a coupe variant.
For those looking for vehicles with the highest level of highway safety, these five choices are the best that the German automaker has to offer in 2024.
Audi Q4 e-tron / Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback
As the IIHS notes in their scoring criteria, larger vehicles are generally more likely to receive safety pick awards. And while no Audi sedans or hatchbacks won any IIHS awards for 2024, their small large vehicle, the Q4 e-tron took home a Top Safety Pick designation. Both body styles of the midsize electric SUV received the same scores.
Audi Q7
As we move up the ladder, The Q5, unfortunately, missed out in a couple of scoring categories but remains a decently safe choice. As far as the next Top Safety Pick award, though, that belongs to the Q7. The long-time champion of Audi’s SUV lineup, the Q7 has proven to be a safe choice for families time and again.
Audi Q8 e-tron / Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback
The largest EV on the Audi lineup also came away as a Top Safety Pick award winner. The Q8 e-tron and its Sportback counterpart both received good scores in the categories in which they were tested. The IIHS’s testing, however, omitted a couple of categories relating to the seatbelt, which may have been the difference between a Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick +.
Volkswagen Atlas / Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Since the Q7 was picked as a 2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick, it would be a surprise if its VW derivative was left without anything to show off on the mantle. The Volkswagen Atlas, which shares a platform with the Audi Q7 is also a winner. Interestingly, though, it didn’t get the exact same scores as its luxury counterpart.
Volkswagen ID.4
And lastly, the VW ID.4 is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2024. In the same way that both the Q7 and the Atlas were award-winners, the Q4 e-tron’s little EV sibling the ID.4 received some recognition for its passenger safety measures as well. All told,