Where each one leads
Audi A4
- Against cars of the same age, the Audi A4 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Ford S-Max (passes 4% less often than average).
- Fewer Audi A4 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.2% against 4.8%).
- New Audi A4 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 139 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 158 for the Ford S-Max in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel Audi A4 uses 6.0 l/100 km on the road, the Ford S-Max 7.4.
Ford S-Max
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Ford S-Max uses 7.1 l/100 km on the road, the Audi A4 7.6.
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 | Ford S-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1995–2025 | — |
| New cars registered in Europe | 654,747 (2010–2022) | 339,085 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 245,933 | 65,235 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 26,432 | 7,670 |
| In traffic in Finland | 24,632 | 3,776 |
| 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 | Ford S-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 73% | 65% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | −4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.4% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −27% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.2% | 4.8% |
| US owner complaints | 2,897 | — |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | — |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (295) | — |
| US recall campaigns | 27 | — |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 12,104 | — |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | — |
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 | Ford S-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2025) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi A4 | Ford S-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2025) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.1 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.6 l/100 km | 7.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.0 l/100 km | 7.4 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 139 g/km | 158 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 125 kW (168 hp) | 119 kW (160 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,574 kg | 1,907 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €46,767 | €44,568 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 273,000 km | 272,000 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).