Where each one leads
Audi e-tron
- Fewer Audi e-tron cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.0% against 3.4%).
- NHTSA rates the 2021 Audi e-tron at 5 of 5 stars, the 2026 BMW X5 at 4.
- New Audi e-tron cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 0 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 113 for the BMW X5 in 2022.
BMW X5
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW X5 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 10% more often than average) than the Audi e-tron (passes 4% more often than average).
Too close to call: new York safety inspections failed, against cars of the same year.
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 e-tron | BMW X5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2019–2025 | 1999–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 80,757 (2018–2022) | 367,747 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 22,551 | 106,389 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 12,555 | 27,193 |
| In traffic in Finland | 2,510 | 111 |
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 e-tron | BMW X5 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 91% | 78% |
| … against cars of the same age | +4% | +10% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | −45% | −50% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.0% | 3.4% |
| US owner complaints | 151 | 3,165 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2019 (77) | 2012 (271) |
| US recall campaigns | 13 | 103 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 3,875 | 5,465 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 4 | 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 e-tron | BMW X5 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2021) | 4★ (2026) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi e-tron | BMW X5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 9.4 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 9.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 12.4 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 9.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 14.8 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 0 g/km | 113 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 253 kW (339 hp) | 220 kW (295 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,585 kg | 2,389 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €84,301 | €111,371 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 85,000 km | 218,000 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).