Where each one leads
Audi A4
- Fewer Audi A4 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.2% against 5.4%).
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid Audi A4 uses 6.1 l/100 km on the road, the BMW 3 Series 6.3.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Audi A4 uses 7.6 l/100 km on the road, the BMW 3 Series 9.8.
BMW 3 Series
- New BMW 3 Series cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 98 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 139 for the Audi A4 in 2022.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age; NHTSA overall safety rating; real-world fuel use in Europe, diesel (l/100 km).
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 A4 | BMW 3 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1995–2025 | 1986–2023 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 654,747 (2010–2022) | 1,714,816 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 245,933 | 472,359 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 26,432 | 127,670 |
| In traffic in Finland | 24,632 | 41,048 |
| Generations on record | 5 | — |
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 A4 | BMW 3 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 73% | 75% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | +9% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.4% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −27% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.2% | 5.4% |
| US owner complaints | 2,897 | 843 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (295) | 2006 (202) |
| US recall campaigns | 27 | 8 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 12,104 | 1,116 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | 23 |
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).
Safety
| Audi A4 | BMW 3 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2025) | 5★ (2022) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi A4 | BMW 3 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2025) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.1 l/100 km | 6.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.6 l/100 km | 9.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.0 l/100 km | 6.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 7.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 139 g/km | 98 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 125 kW (168 hp) | 137 kW (184 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,574 kg | 1,790 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €46,767 | €50,742 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 273,000 km | 226,000 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).