Where each one leads
Audi S4
- Against cars of the same age, the Audi S4 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 15% more often than average) than the BMW 5 Series (passes 10% more often than average).
BMW 5 Series
- Fewer BMW 5 Series cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.8% against 19.8%).
- New BMW 5 Series cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 108 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 192 for the Audi S4 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid BMW 5 Series uses 7.0 l/100 km on the road, the Audi S4 8.2.
Too close to call: 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 S4 | BMW 5 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1989–2025 | 1985–2023 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 19,281 (2010–2022) | 1,118,573 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 9,108 | 199,283 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 1,075 | 64,700 |
| In traffic in Finland | 227 | 34,822 |
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 S4 | BMW 5 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 84% | 79% |
| … against cars of the same age | +15% | +10% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.3% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −34% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 19.8% | 4.8% |
| US owner complaints | 589 | 427 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2000 (143) | 2008 (105) |
| US recall campaigns | 16 | 16 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 11,028 | 928 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 4 | 8 |
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 S4 | BMW 5 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2016) | 5★ (2016) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi S4 | BMW 5 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.7 l/100 km (2025) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 8.2 l/100 km | 7.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 8.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 11.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 7.0 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 192 g/km | 108 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 251 kW (337 hp) | 164 kW (221 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,907 kg | 1,918 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €89,662 | €70,710 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 212,000 km | 256,000 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).