Audi Q6, Three Other Vehicles Earn IIHS 2025 Safety Awards

Four models from three different brands were recognized as 2025 top safety picks in the latest batch of vehicle ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Audi Q6 e-tron, Buick Enclave and Nissan Armada qualified for IIHS’ higher-tier Top Safety Pick+ award, while the GMC Acadia earned the lower-tier top safety pick award.

The awards for the Enclave and Acadia apply only to models built after January 2025, as vehicles built earlier were equipped with marginal-rated headlights.

Vehicles need good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels to qualify for either award in 2025.

An acceptable rating in the updated moderate overlap front test is enough to qualify for Top Safety Pick, but a good rating is required for the “plus” designation.

Seven other vehicles, the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron, Cadillac Lyriq, Kia K4, Nissan Kicks, Nissan Rogue, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Tacoma crew cab, did not earn awards due to missing ratings or substandard performance in one or more of the required tests.

The poor rating in the updated moderate overlap for the K4 applies only to models built before February 2025, when Kia modified aspects of the vehicle design. Newer models have not been evaluated.

Top photo: A crash test of the 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron, which qualified for a safety award. Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.