Audi e-tron earns top safety award from IIHS

The 2019 Audi e-tron has earned the top safety award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The e-tron, introduced for the 2019 model year, is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car. According to IIHS, the e-tron fulfils the criteria to earn a ‘Top safety pick+’ award with standard equipment. To qualify for the award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in six crashworthiness evaluations, as well as an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good headlight rating.

IIHS announced that the e-tron performed well in crashworthiness testing, earning good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests.

Furthermore, the SUV's standard front crash prevention system rates superior in IIHS track tests. It avoided a collision in the 25-mph (40kph) test and reduced its impact speed by an average of 11 mph (17kph) in the 12-mph (19kph) test. Its forward-collision warning component meets US’s ‘National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’ criteria.

The e-tron's only available headlights — static LEDs with high-beam assist — earned a good rating. High-beam assist is a system that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, depending on the presence of other vehicles.