The 2019 Audi e-tron SUV is the first pure battery-electric vehicle to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2019 Top Safety Pick+ rating, the highest rating awarded by the nonprofit organization.

In developing the e-tron, engineers designed a battery pack with performance, longevity and safety in mind. The battery pack is housed in a frame with an internal honeycomb structure separating battery cell modules specifically to help dissipate energy. The 95 kWh battery pack is also sandwiched between protective covers on both its top and bottom, with coolant running underneath the battery pack to help maintain optimal thermal efficiency.

Through IIHS’s evaluations, the e-tron body and structure exceled in safety performance, earning the top “Good” rating in six areas of crashworthiness performance: small front overlap collision evaluations on both the driver and passenger sides; moderate front overlap; side impact; roof strength; and head restraints and seat performance.

The e-tron also earned a “Good” rating with its standard Matrix Design LED headlights and “Superior” with standard automatic emergency braking as part of Audi pre sense front. Using a front-mounted camera, the e-tron can help initiate braking at speeds of up to 52 mph for detected pedestrians and bicyclists and can bring a vehicle to a full stop when traveling at speeds under 25 mph.

Additionally, the e-tron comes with standard Audi pre sense basic, which can help prepare the vehicle for impact by partially closing the side windows and sunroof and pre-tensioning the front safety belts.

The e-tron went on sale last spring nationwide and joins the 2019 Audi A3, A4, A6 and Audi Q8 as recipients of 2019 IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ awards when equipped with specific headlights and/or optional equipment.

The 2019 IIHS “Top Safety Pick+” is based on “Good” ratings in the moderate overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, side, roof strength, head restraint and headlight tests; a vehicle must also earn no less than an “Advanced” rating for front-crash prevention.

The 2019 IIHS “Top Safety Pick” designation is based on “Good” ratings in the moderate overlap front, driver-side small overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. A vehicle must also earn no less than an “Acceptable” rating in the passenger-side small overlap front, no less than an “Acceptable” rating for headlights and no less than an “advanced”rating for front-crash prevention.