Where each one leads
Audi A3 Cabriolet
- Fewer Audi A3 Cabriolet cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.9% against 4.2%).
- New Audi A3 Cabriolet cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 114 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 170 for the BMW Z4 in 2022.
BMW Z4
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW Z4 uses 8.4 l/100 km, the 2020 Audi A3 Cabriolet 9.5.
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
| Audi A3 Cabriolet | BMW Z4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2015–2019 | 2002–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 60,692 (2010–2022) | 60,724 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 32,458 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 4,188 | 5,299 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 773 |
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
| Audi A3 Cabriolet | BMW Z4 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +20% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 1.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −51% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.9% | 4.2% |
| US owner complaints | 164 | 1,282 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 2015 (87) | 2003 (414) |
| US recall campaigns | 11 | 28 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,879 | 1,817 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 5 | 9 |
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
| Audi A3 Cabriolet | BMW Z4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.5 l/100 km (2020) | 8.4 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 8.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 114 g/km | 170 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 103 kW (138 hp) | 193 kW (259 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,440 kg | 1,554 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €48,105 | €70,203 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 136,000 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).