— Audi's Q7 and Q5 earned the top overall crash-test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the 2018 model year. Both SUVs garnered an overall five-star rating (the maximum possible) in NHTSA's frontal, side-impact and rollover tests.
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The Q7 earned five stars in NHTSA's side-impact tests and four stars in the agency's front-impact and rollover evaluations. It's the first time NHTSA has rated the current-generation Q7, which arrived in early 2016 as a 2017 model-year redesign. The Q5, which Audi redesigned for 2018, received five stars in NHTSA's frontal and side-impact tests; it got four stars in the rollover evaluation.
Both SUVs garnered top scores from NHTSA's crash-test counterpart, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in all but two categories. The 2018 Q5 and 2017 Q7 earned the institute's 2017 Top Safety Pick designation (though not the best-possible Plus award). Given IIHS' tougher award criteria for 2018 — which require, at minimum, better headlight performance than either SUV earned — those designations won't carry into the new year, barring changes from Audi.
Versus competitors, the Q5 is in safe company. The 2017 versions of the 2017 Acura RDX and Lexus NX 200t both earned five stars from NHTSA, while the 2017 Lincoln MKC received only four stars. The Q7, meanwhile, measures up to stiff model-year 2017 competition as the Acura MDX, BMW X5, Buick Enclave and Infiniti QX60 all received five stars, while the Volvo XC90 earned the top score for both the 2017 and 2018 model years.
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