Where each one leads
Audi RS6
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- New Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 165 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 294 for the Audi RS6 in 2021.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
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 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2003–2020 | 1994–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,248 (2010–2021) | 136,729 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 5,702 | 22,797 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 8,416 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 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 RS6 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 88% | 83% |
| … against cars of the same age | +13% | +16% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 0.6% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −64% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 8.2% |
| US owner complaints | 43 | 271 |
| Most complaints about | Suspension | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2003 (43) | 2000 (81) |
| US recall campaigns | 2 | 11 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,897 | 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 RS6 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 8.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 11.9 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 8.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 15.6 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 294 g/km | 165 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 441 kW (591 hp) | 290 kW (389 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,175 kg | 2,204 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €142,880 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 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).