Where each one leads
Audi A5 Cabriolet
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
BMW i8
- Fewer BMW i8 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.6% against 4.5%).
- New BMW i8 cars registered in Europe in 2021 average 51 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 162 for the Audi A5 Cabriolet in 2022.
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 A5 Cabriolet | BMW i8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2008–2025 | 2014–2020 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 58,770 (2010–2022) | 7,962 (2014–2021) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 2,033 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 4,580 | 234 |
| In traffic in Finland | 109 | — |
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 A5 Cabriolet | BMW i8 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 90% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +14% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 0.9% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −53% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.5% | 3.6% |
| US owner complaints | 51 | 10 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2010 (16) | 2015 (5) |
| US recall campaigns | 9 | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 11,214 | 877 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 13 |
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 A5 Cabriolet | BMW i8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.6 l/100 km (2024) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 8.4 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.8 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 162 g/km | 51 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 147 kW (197 hp) | 170 kW (228 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,779 kg | 1,665 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €71,966 | €150,322 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 157,000 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).