Where each one leads
Audi A7
- Fewer Audi A7 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (5.4% against 8.2%).
- New Audi A7 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 152 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 165 for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid Audi A7 uses 7.6 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class 8.2.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Audi A7 uses 9.9 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class 11.9.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Against cars of the same age, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 16% more often than average) than the Audi A7 (passes 12% more often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 64% less often than average) than the Audi A7 (fails 50% less often than average).
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 A7 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2007–2025 | 1994–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 87,862 (2010–2022) | 136,729 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 16,712 | 22,797 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 2,151 | 8,416 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,176 | 2,778 |
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 A7 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 84% | 83% |
| … against cars of the same age | +12% | +16% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| … against cars of the same year | −50% | −64% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.4% | 8.2% |
| US owner complaints | 138 | 271 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2019 (43) | 2000 (81) |
| US recall campaigns | 24 | 11 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 12,858 | 116 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 7 |
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 A7 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.6 l/100 km (2025) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 7.6 l/100 km | 8.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 9.9 l/100 km | 11.9 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 8.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 15.6 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 152 g/km | 165 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 193 kW (258 hp) | 290 kW (389 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,919 kg | 2,204 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €97,967 | €142,880 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 203,000 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).