Where each one leads
Audi Q8
- Against cars of the same year, the Audi Q8 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 40% less often than average) than the Ford Explorer (fails 20% less often than average).
Ford Explorer
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Ford Explorer uses 10.4 l/100 km, the 2026 Audi Q8 12.1.
- New Ford Explorer cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 75 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 198 for the Audi Q8 in 2022.
Too close to call: dutch odometer readings judged illogical; NHTSA overall safety rating.
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 Q8 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2019–2026 | 1984–2027 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 42,262 (2016–2022) | 10,009 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 16,000 | 16,800 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 7,635 | 7,417 |
| In traffic in Finland | 859 | 1,617 |
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 Q8 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 91% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +5% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | −40% | −20% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| US owner complaints | 203 | 34,627 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2019 (110) | 2002 (3,295) |
| US recall campaigns | 16 | 142 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,321 | 5,035 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 155 |
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 Q8 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2026) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi Q8 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 12.1 l/100 km (2026) | 10.4 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 9.5 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 12.4 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 9.7 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 198 g/km | 75 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 223 kW (299 hp) | 267 kW (358 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,287 kg | 2,547 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €134,093 | €77,709 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 35,000 km | 86,000 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).