Compare the2025 Audi S5VS 2025 BMW M3

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi S5 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 M3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the S5 and M3 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S5 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 M3’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.

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 S5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The M3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S5. But it costs extra on the M3.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The S5 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The M3 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

Both the S5 and M3 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the S5 has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The M3’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the S5 and the M3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 1 place higher in reliability than BMW.

On the EPA test cycle the S5 gets better mileage than the M3:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi S5 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The M3 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Audi S5 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the M3.

The S5 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 M3 doesn’t offer an SMG.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch front wheels are standard on the M3. The S5’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch front wheels and 20-inch rear wheels optional on the M3.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the S5 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The M3 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The S5 has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The S5’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 M3 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S5’s wheelbase is 1.5 inches longer than on the M3 (114 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

The design of the Audi S5 amounts to more than styling. The S5 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .31 Cd. That is lower than the M3 (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S5 get better fuel mileage.

The S5 has 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the M3.

The S5’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The M3 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 S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The M3 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the S5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The M3 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S5 (except Premium) offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the M3.