Where each one leads
Audi A6
- Against cars of the same age, the Audi A6 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 11% more often than average) than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (passes 2% less often than average).
- Fewer Audi A6 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.2% against 6.3%).
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Audi A6 uses 9.2 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 9.6.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Against cars of the same year, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 46% less often than average) than the Audi A6 (fails 32% less often than average).
- New Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 121 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 131 for the Audi A6 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid Mercedes-Benz E-Class uses 6.5 l/100 km on the road, the Audi A6 6.9.
Too close to call: 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 A6 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1994–2026 | 1992–2008 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 411,334 (2010–2022) | 1,118,006 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 129,627 | 213,126 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 17,710 | 41,701 |
| In traffic in Finland | 12,113 | 42,654 |
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 A6 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 79% | 86% |
| … against cars of the same age | +11% | −2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.2% | 1.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | −32% | −46% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.2% | 6.3% |
| US owner complaints | 1,662 | 298 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 1999 (217) | 2003 (45) |
| US recall campaigns | 54 | 9 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 17,761 | 139 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 26 | 14 |
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 A6 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2021) | 5★ (2023) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi A6 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.2 l/100 km (2026) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.9 l/100 km | 6.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 9.2 l/100 km | 9.6 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.7 l/100 km | 6.7 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 14.7 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 131 g/km | 121 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 174 kW (233 hp) | 167 kW (224 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,842 kg | 1,970 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €71,765 | €72,621 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 285,000 km | 294,000 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).