Where each one leads
Audi SQ5
- Against cars of the same year, the Audi SQ5 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 55% less often than average) than the BMW X3 (fails 32% less often than average).
BMW X3
- Fewer BMW X3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.2% against 21.2%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW X3 uses 8.1 l/100 km, the 2026 Audi SQ5 10.1.
- New BMW X3 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 125 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 217 for the Audi SQ5 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid BMW X3 uses 7.3 l/100 km on the road, the Audi SQ5 8.8.
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 SQ5 | BMW X3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2012–2026 | 2004–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 66,085 (2013–2022) | 583,466 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 13,684 | 123,964 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 2,587 | 25,650 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 4,293 |
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 SQ5 | BMW X3 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 80% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +6% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| … against cars of the same year | −55% | −32% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 21.2% | 2.2% |
| US owner complaints | 124 | 2,015 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2018 (24) | 2013 (226) |
| US recall campaigns | 14 | 60 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,904 | 3,868 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 17 |
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 SQ5 | BMW X3 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2017) | 4★ (2026) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi SQ5 | BMW X3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.1 l/100 km (2026) | 8.1 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 8.8 l/100 km | 7.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 9.4 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 10.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 7.6 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 217 g/km | 125 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 251 kW (337 hp) | 157 kW (210 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,084 kg | 1,985 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €118,419 | €75,236 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 237,000 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).