Compare the2024 Audi A8VS 2024 BMW 7 Series

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A8 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 7 Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A8 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 7 Series doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The A8 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The 7 Series doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A8. But it costs extra on the 7 Series.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the A8 helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard and even aims one of the vehicle’s headlights in the direction of the person or object. The 7 Series doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the A8 and the 7 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 and rear cross-path warning.

On the EPA test cycle the A8 gets better fuel mileage than the 760i running its gasoline engine (19 city/28 hwy vs. 18 city/25 hwy).

The A8 has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series 750e’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The A8 has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the 7 Series’ standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 19.5 gallons).

The A8 stops much shorter than the 7 Series:

For better traction, the A8’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 7 Series (265/40R20 vs. 255/45R20).

The A8’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 7 Series’ optional 40 series front tires.

The A8 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 7 Series; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The A8 55 TFSI handles at .93 G’s, while the 760i xDrive pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A8 is 3.5 inches shorter than the 7 Series, making the A8 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The A8 has .3 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the 7 Series.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the A8 to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The 7 Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A8 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The 7 Series doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A8 offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The 7 Series doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi A8 will be $1821 to $22443 less than for the BMW 7 Series.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A8, based on reliability, safety and performance.