Compare the2024 Audi A6VS 2024 BMW 5 Series

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A6 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 5 Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A6 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 5 Series doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A6 and 5 Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A6 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 5 Series’ 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 A6. But it costs extra on the 5 Series.

Both the A6 and the 5 Series 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 blind spot warning systems, around view monitors 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 “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A6 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 5 Series has not been tested, yet.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the A6 third among midsize premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The 5 Series isn’t in the top three in its category.

The A6 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (261 vs. 255) than the 530i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

The A6 has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the 5 Series (19.3 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The A6 offers an available 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 5 Series doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better traction, the A6’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 5 Series (255/40R20 vs. 245/40R20).

For better maneuverability, the A6’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the 5 Series’ (39.7 feet vs. 40.4 feet). The A6’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the 5 Series xDrive’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The A6 is 4.8 inches shorter than the 5 Series, making the A6 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The A6 has .4 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear legroom than the 5 Series.

The A6 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The 5 Series has no towing capacity.

The A6’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The 5 Series does not have an oil pressure gauge.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A6 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The 5 Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A6 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 5 Series 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 A6 has standard extendable sun visors. The 5 Series doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A6, based on reliability, safety and performance.