In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ioniq 5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q8 e-tron, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
|
Ioniq 5 |
Q8 e-tron |
| Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
| 12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
-10 MPH |
|
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
| 12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-23 MPH |
| 25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
| 25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
| 37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-36 MPH |
| 37 MPH Low beams |
-32 MPH |
-31 MPH |
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Ioniq 5 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Audi Q8 e-tron has not been tested.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ioniq 5 Limited/XRT/N has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.
The Ioniq 5’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Ioniq 5 and the Q8 e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron:
|
|
Ioniq 5 |
Q8 e-tron |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| Neck Injury Risk |
21.8% |
23% |
| Neck Stress |
203 lbs. |
253 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
202 |
323 |
| Neck Stress |
97 lbs. |
157 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron:
|
|
Ioniq 5 |
Q8 e-tron |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Max Damage Depth |
7 inches |
8 inches |
| HIC |
252 |
279 |
| Spine Acceleration |
35 G’s |
60 G’s |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Q8 e-tron has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

