Where each one leads
BMW M4
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW M4 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 58% less often than average) than the Ford Mustang (fails 37% less often than average).
- Fewer BMW M4 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.1% against 68.9%).
- New BMW M4 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 229 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 266 for the Ford Mustang in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol BMW M4 uses 13.2 l/100 km on the road, the Ford Mustang 13.9.
Ford Mustang
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Ford Mustang uses 9.1 l/100 km, the 2026 BMW M4 12.6.
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
| BMW M4 | Ford Mustang | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2014–2026 | 1981–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 37,298 (2014–2022) | 55,766 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 20,019 | 12,016 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 1,090 | 7,283 |
| In traffic in Finland | 138 | 1,553 |
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 M4 | Ford Mustang | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 87% | 83% |
| … against cars of the same age | +7% | +6% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| … against cars of the same year | −58% | −37% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.1% | 68.9% |
| US owner complaints | 47 | 9,231 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2016 (22) | 2005 (705) |
| US recall campaigns | 13 | 81 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,022 | 3,373 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 95 |
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
| BMW M4 | Ford Mustang | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW M4 | Ford Mustang | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 12.6 l/100 km (2026) | 9.1 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 13.2 l/100 km | 13.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 229 g/km | 266 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 376 kW (504 hp) | 332 kW (445 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,875 kg | 1,851 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €150,898 | €85,667 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 94,000 km | 92,000 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).