Where each one leads
Audi TT
- New Audi TT cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 161 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 170 for the BMW Z4 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Audi TT uses 8.4 l/100 km on the road, the BMW Z4 8.9.
BMW Z4
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW Z4 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 20% more often than average) than the Audi TT (passes 13% more often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW Z4 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 51% less often than average) than the Audi TT (fails 24% less often than average).
- Fewer BMW Z4 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.2% against 10.0%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW Z4 uses 8.4 l/100 km, the 2023 Audi TT 9.4.
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 TT | BMW Z4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1999–2024 | 2002–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 78,602 (2010–2022) | 60,724 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 60,772 | 32,458 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 8,176 | 5,299 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,718 | 773 |
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 TT | BMW Z4 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 76% | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | +13% | +20% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.6% | 1.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | −24% | −51% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 10.0% | 4.2% |
| US owner complaints | 319 | 1,282 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 2001 (120) | 2003 (414) |
| US recall campaigns | 12 | 28 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 7,556 | 1,817 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 2 | 9 |
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 TT | BMW Z4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.4 l/100 km (2023) | 8.4 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 8.4 l/100 km | 8.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 161 g/km | 170 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 159 kW (213 hp) | 193 kW (259 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,385 kg | 1,554 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €52,209 | €70,203 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 219,000 km | 136,000 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).