Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2021 Audi A6

large luxury car / 4-door sedan

2021 Audi A6 4-door sedan
2019 Audi A6 shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Standard system
Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Standard system
Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Standard lane departure warning
  • Optional lane departure prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2019-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Audi A6 2.0T Premium quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi A6 was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Driver-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen/Audi. Ratings apply to the Audi A6 4-door sedan (tested) and the structurally similar all new 2020 A6 allroad as well as the Audi A7 4-door hatchback, redesigned for the 2019 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTN1903
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 4
Footrest (cm) 7
Left toepan (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 2
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 0
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 4
Upper dash (cm) 5
Lower instrument panel (cm) 3

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTN1903
Head
HIC-15 491
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 8
Maximum Nij 0.30
Chest maximum compression (mm) 32
Femur (kN)
Left 1.2
Right 1.3
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.38
Right 0.47
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 3.7
Right 4.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 122
Right 95

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2019-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Audi A6 2.0T Premium quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi A6 was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen/Audi. Ratings apply to the Audi A6 4-door sedan (tested) and the structurally similar all new 2020 A6 allroad as well as the Audi A7 4-door hatchback, redesigned for the 2019 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but rolled to the right, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The side curtain airbag deployed and has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects.
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Test ID VTP1904
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 2
Footrest (cm) 5
Right toepan (cm) 2
Center toepan (cm) 1
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 0
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 1
Upper dash (cm) 3
Right lower dash (cm) 3

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1904
Head
HIC-15 312
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.4
Extension bending moment (Nm) 13
Maximum Nij 0.28
Chest maximum compression (mm) 22
Femur (kN)
Left 2.0
Right 1.8
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.56
Right 0.53
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 4.5
Right 3.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 98
Right 105

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1904
Head
HIC-15 176
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 12
Maximum Nij 0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm) 33
Femur (kN)
Left 0.9
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 2
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.32
Right 0.27
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.7
Right 2.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 63
Right 90

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2019-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Audi A6 2.0T Premium quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi A6 was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen/Audi. Ratings apply to the Audi A6 4-door sedan (tested) and the structurally similar all new 2020 A6 allroad as well as the Audi A7 4-door hatchback, redesigned for the 2019 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1904
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 0
Left (cm) 0
Center (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) -1
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) -3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1904
Head
HIC-15 165
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 11
Maximum Nij 0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm) 28
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 0.5
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.26
Maximum tibia index - right 0.35
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 47
Right 44

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2019-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Audi A6 2.0T Premium Plus quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi A6 was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen/Audi. Ratings apply to the Audi A6 4-door sedan (tested) and the structurally similar all new 2020 A6 allroad as well as the Audi A7 4-door hatchback, redesigned for the 2019 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS1904
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -17.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1904
Head HIC-15 291
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 40
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 30
Average deflection (mm) 27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.83
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.41
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.1
Combined force (kN) 2.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 96
A-P moment (Nm) 60

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS1904
Head HIC-15 126
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.4
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 22
Lateral force (kN) 1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 29
Average deflection (mm) 22
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.05
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.29
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.7
Combined force (kN) 1.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 64
A-P moment (Nm) 38

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2019-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Audi A6 3.0T Premium quattro 4-door 4wd

Rating applies to both the Audi A6 sedan (tested) and the structurally similar Audi A6 allroad and Audi A7 hatchback.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight4,209 lbs
Peak force22,702 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio5.39

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 23
Distance below top of head (mm) 15
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.8
Head contact time (ms) 58
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 0
Max neck tension (N) 311

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 3 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

  • Prestige trim
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED projector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit Some glare

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual left and gradual right curves and fair on the sharp left and sharp right curves.

The low beams created some glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual left and gradual right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the sharp right curve.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Prestige trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2019-24 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 91.5 m None
Straightaway left edge 59.9 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 66.3 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 69.6 m 36.8%
150m radius right curve, right edge 47.7 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 52.3 m 3.1%
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 174.9 m
Straightaway left edge 157.8 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 76.2 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 78.3 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 54.6 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 55.6 m

Trim level(s)

  • Premium Plus trim
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED reflector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on the sharp left and both right curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on the gradual right and gradual left curves and inadequate on the sharp right and sharp left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway, on both left curves and on both right curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Premium Plus trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED reflector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2019-24 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 100.0 m None
Straightaway left edge 61.5 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 63.1 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 53.3 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 52.8 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 45.5 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 148.9 m
Straightaway left edge 163.6 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 68.9 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 66.6 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 54.2 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 49.7 m

Trim level(s)

  • Premium trim
Low-beam headlight typeLED projector
High-beam headlight typeLED projector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on the sharp left and both right curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Premium trim
Low-beam headlight type LED projector
High-beam headlight type LED projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2020-23 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 77.8 m None
Straightaway left edge 53.8 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 60.0 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 54.2 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 51.6 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 45.3 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 146.0 m
Straightaway left edge 123.0 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 62.7 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 57.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 53.0 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 46.9 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Standard Audi Pre Sense Front

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2019-23 models

Superior
Superior
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

  • standard Pre sense front

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to all 2019-24 models

Superior
Superior

Crossing child

  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 11 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Crossing adult

  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 23 mph.

Parallel adult

  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 36 mph. A warning was issued 2.3 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2019-24 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim3.0T Premium
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim3.0T Premium
Seat type leather
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
not too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
not too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 83
Lower anchor B
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 91
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 91
Lower anchor B
Open access rated Yes
Depth Visible
Force (lbs) 0
Clearance angle (degrees) 93
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation