Where each one leads
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
- Against cars of the same age, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 55% more often than average) than the BMW M4 (passes 7% more often than average).
BMW M4
- Fewer BMW M4 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.1% against 5.6%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW M4 uses 12.6 l/100 km, the 2016 Aston Martin V8 Vantage 14.7.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Aston Martin V8 Vantage | BMW M4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2006–2019 | 2014–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 37,298 (2014–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 20,019 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 296 | 1,090 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 138 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Aston Martin V8 Vantage | BMW M4 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 90% | 87% |
| … against cars of the same age | +55% | +7% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 0.5% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −58% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.6% | 3.1% |
| US owner complaints | 12 | 47 |
| Most complaints about | Exterior lighting | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2015 (3) | 2016 (22) |
| US recall campaigns | 8 | 13 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 399 | 1,022 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Aston Martin V8 Vantage | BMW M4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 14.7 l/100 km (2016) | 12.6 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 13.2 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 229 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 376 kW (504 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,875 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €180,750 | €150,898 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 94,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).