Where each one leads
Audi RS6
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
BMW M5
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW M5 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 31% more often than average) than the Audi RS6 (passes 13% more often than average).
- New BMW M5 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 255 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 294 for the Audi RS6 in 2021.
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 RS6 | BMW M5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2003–2020 | 1989–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,248 (2010–2021) | 15,353 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 5,702 | 6,139 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 2,326 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 276 |
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 RS6 | BMW M5 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 88% | 86% |
| … against cars of the same age | +13% | +31% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 0.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −71% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 2.1% |
| US owner complaints | 43 | 106 |
| Most complaints about | Suspension | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2003 (43) | 2006 (39) |
| US recall campaigns | 2 | 23 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,897 | 2,339 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 3 |
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 RS6 | BMW M5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 13.8 l/100 km (2023) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 14.2 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 294 g/km | 255 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 441 kW (591 hp) | 458 kW (614 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,175 kg | 1,975 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €157,514 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 167,000 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).