The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced its latest test results for the 2019 Audi A6 and Q8 models.
The 2019 Audi A6 received its highest safety rating, Top Safety Pick+, while the Q8 SUV received the lower Top Safety Pick rating. Both the A6 and Q8 earn good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness tests.
The A6 is available with three headlight options and two of them received a good rating, which qualified the A6 for the Top Safety Pick+ rating. The Q8′ optional LED projectors with high-beam assist only received an acceptable rating, which meant that the Q8 would only qualify for the lower Top Safety Pick rating. In order to receive the higher Top Safety Pick+ rating, a vehicle’s headlights have to receive a good rating.
The Q8’s base headlights earn a poor rating, due largely to excessive glare from the low beams.
To qualify for a Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test. It also needs an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating.
