Compare the2022 Audi A7VS 2022 BMW 530e

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A7 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 530e doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A7 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 530e doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A7 and 530e have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The 530e’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A7. But it costs extra on the 530e.

The A7 offers an optional Top and Corner View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 530e only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the A7 and the 530e have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available night vision systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A7 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 530e has not been fully tested, yet.

The A7’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 47 more horsepower (335 vs. 288) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 310) than the 530e’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The A7 55 TFSI e’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 74 more horsepower (362 vs. 288) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 310) than the 530e’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi A7 55 TFSI is faster than the BMW 530e:

On the EPA test cycle the A7 running on electricity gets better mileage than the 530e running on electricity:

On the EPA test cycle the A7 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the 530e running its gasoline engine:

The A7 55 TFSI e’s maximum driving range in pure electric mode is 26 miles, 27% further than the 530e xDrive’s 19-mile range and 19% further than the 530e RWD’s 21 miles.

Both the A7 and the 530e have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All A7s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The A7 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 530e (13.7 vs. 12.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The A7’s standard fuel tank has 7.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the 530e (19.3 vs. 12.1 gallons).

The A7 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The 530e doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The A7 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The 530e doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the A7 55 TFSI e’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 530e:

The A7 stops shorter than the 530e:

For better traction, the A7 has larger tires than the 530e (255/40R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The A7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 530e’s standard 45 series tires. The A7 55 TFSI Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the 530e’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A7 has standard 20-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the 530e. The A7 55 TFSI Prestige offers optional 21-inch wheels.

The A7 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the 530e; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A7 is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .2 inches wider in the rear than on the 530e.

The A7 55 TFSI Prestige handles at .86 G’s, while the 530e pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A7 55 TFSI Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the 530e (26 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 26.6 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the A7’s turning circle is 3 feet tighter than the 530e’s (36.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The A7 55 TFSI e’s turning circle is .1 feet tighter than the 530e xDrive’s (40.7 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the A7 a Mid-size car, while the 530e is rated a Compact.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A7’s rear seats recline. The 530e’s rear seats don’t recline.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A7 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 530e doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the A7 has standard extendable sun visors. The 530e doesn’t offer extendable visors.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi A7 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 530e doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The A7 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the A7 will retain 41.65% to 94.21% of its original price after five years, while the 530e only retains 39.72% to 40%.