Compare the2024 Kia EV6VS 2024 Audi Q4 e-tron

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the EV6 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia EV6 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The EV6 offers optional Parking Collision-Avoidance Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The EV6’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the EV6 and the Q4 e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The EV6 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Q4 e-tron’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV6 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q4 e-tron. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q4 e-tron ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the EV6’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the EV6’s reliability 54 points higher than the Q4 e-tron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 87 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 25th.

The EV6 has more powerful engines than the Q4 e-tron:

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia EV6 is faster than the Q4 50 e-tron electric motors:

On the EPA test cycle the EV6 gets better mileage than the Q4 e-tron:

The EV6 can travel longer on a full charge than the Q4 e-tron on a full charge:

For better stopping power the EV6 GT’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Q4 e-tron:

The Kia EV6 has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Q4 e-tron. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The EV6 stops much shorter than the Q4 e-tron:

For better traction, the EV6 GT-Line e-AWD’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q4 e-tron (255/45R20 vs. 235/55R19).

The EV6 GT’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q4 e-tron Quattro’s optional 50 series front and 45 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV6 GT has standard 21-inch wheels. The Q4 e-tron’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV6’s wheelbase is 5.5 inches longer than on the Q4 e-tron (114.2 inches vs. 108.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the EV6 is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Q4 e-tron.

The EV6 GT handles at .92 G’s, while the Q4 50 e-tron Prestige pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kia EV6 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 700 pounds less than the Audi Q4 e-tron.

The front grille of the EV6 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The EV6 has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q4 e-tron.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the EV6’s rear seats recline. The Q4 e-tron’s rear seats don’t recline.

The EV6 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Q4 e-tron uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The EV6’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Q4 e-tron’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Both the EV6 and the Q4 e-tron have standard heated front seats. The EV6 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q4 e-tron.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the EV6 Wind/GT-Line keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia EV6 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q4 e-tron.

The EV6 Wind/GT-Line/GT has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the rear seat, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The EV6 (except Light)’s optional Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Q4 e-tron Premium Plus/Prestige’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia EV6, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Audi Q4 e-tron isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the EV6 first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q4 e-tron isn’t in the top three.

The EV6 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023. The Q4 e-tron has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV6 as the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Q4 e-tron has never been chosen.

The Kia EV6 outsold the Audi Q4 e-tron by almost three to one during 2022.