<p>The crashworthiness of W-shaped thermoplastic composite structures made from woven carbon fiber and polycarbonate was investigated. The thermoplastic composite sheets were thermoformed into W-shaped structures. The original one with flat flange parts was called W1 type, and another was called W2 type, in which the flat flange parts were trimmed out. Additionally, the stacking sequence of the composite structures was modified from [(0/90)]₆ to [(±45)]₆. Impact testing was conducted using a test machine with a drop weight of an impact energy of 300 J, and the specific energy absorption of the four types of specimens was compared. Finite element simulations were also performed and compared with the experimental results. The impact testing results revealed that the specific energy absorption (SEA of, the W1-(0/90) type has the highest average value of 41.38 J/g; the W2-(0/90) type has the second value of 40.27 J/g; the W1-(±45) type has the third value of 36.07 J/g, and the W2-(±45) has the least value of 32.41 J/g. These results indicate that the angle of fiber orientation has a larger effect on SEA than the shape difference between W1 and W2. The simulation results followed the same trend and showed excellent agreement with the experimental findings.</p>