Where each one leads
BMW M3
- New BMW M3 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 211 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 239 for the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol BMW M3 uses 13.1 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 16.5.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid BMW M3 uses 10.0 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 12.8.
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz AMG GT cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.5% against 7.3%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT uses 10.8 l/100 km, the 2026 BMW M3 12.6.
Too close to call: new York safety inspections failed, against cars of the same year.
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
| BMW M3 | Mercedes-Benz AMG GT | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1988–2025 | 2016–2021 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 23,515 (2010–2022) | 23,020 (2014–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 27,874 | 183 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 2,842 | 1,052 |
| In traffic in Finland | 347 | — |
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
| BMW M3 | Mercedes-Benz AMG GT | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 85% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +34% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | −64% | −59% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 7.3% | 4.5% |
| US owner complaints | 444 | 18 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2008 (82) | 2016 (6) |
| US recall campaigns | 26 | 12 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,633 | 337 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 25 | 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
| BMW M3 | Mercedes-Benz AMG GT | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 12.6 l/100 km (2026) | 10.8 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 13.1 l/100 km | 16.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 10.0 l/100 km | 12.8 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 211 g/km | 239 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 337 kW (452 hp) | 385 kW (517 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,850 kg | 1,993 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €124,668 | €247,441 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 151,000 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).