Compare the2025 Audi Q5VS 2025 BMW X3

The Q5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The X3 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q5 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 X3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Q5 and X3 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q5 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 X3’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.

The Q5 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The X3 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Q5 and X3 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q5 has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The X3’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

The Q5’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 X3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Q5 and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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.

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running on electricity gets better mileage than the X3:

The Q5 55 TFSI e can travel with zero emissions for 23 miles. The X3 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi Q5 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The X3 M50 xDrive requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Q5’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3 (18.5 vs. 17.2 gallons).

The Q5 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 X3 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Q5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the X3:

The Q5 55 TFSI e has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q5’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The X3 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better maneuverability, the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the X3’s (38.7 feet vs. 40 feet). The Q5 55 TFSI e’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the X3’s (39.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

The Q5 has .7 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the X3.

The Q5’s optional easy entry system raises the steering wheel when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The X3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q5 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X3 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Q5 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the X3.

The Q5 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the X3.

The Audi Q5/SQ5 outsold the BMW X3 by 17% during 2023.