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 Volkswagen Passat (passes 3% more often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Audi A4 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 27% less often than average) than the Volkswagen Passat (fails 12% more often than average).
- NHTSA rates the 2025 Audi A4 at 5 of 5 stars, the 2022 Volkswagen Passat at 4.
Volkswagen Passat
- Fewer Volkswagen Passat cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.8% against 4.2%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2022 Volkswagen Passat uses 8.3 l/100 km, the 2025 Audi A4 8.8.
- New Volkswagen Passat cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 122 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 139 for the Audi A4 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Volkswagen Passat uses 6.4 l/100 km on the road, the Audi A4 7.6.
Too close to call: 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 | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1995–2025 | 1988–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 654,747 (2010–2022) | 1,972,396 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 245,933 | 178,867 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 26,432 | 61,953 |
| In traffic in Finland | 24,632 | 50,018 |
| Generations on record | 5 | 6 |
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 | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 73% | 71% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | +3% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.4% | 2.3% |
| … against cars of the same year | −27% | +12% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.2% | 3.8% |
| US owner complaints | 2,897 | 7,707 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (295) | 2013 (749) |
| US recall campaigns | 27 | 54 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 12,104 | 14,721 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | 79 |
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 | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2025) | 4★ (2022) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi A4 | Volkswagen Passat | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2025) | 8.3 l/100 km (2022) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.1 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.6 l/100 km | 6.4 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 | — | 7.3 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 139 g/km | 122 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 125 kW (168 hp) | 117 kW (157 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,574 kg | 1,606 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €46,767 | €44,330 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 273,000 km | 238,000 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).