Compare the2026 Audi A6VS 2025 Mercedes C-Class Sedan

Both the A6 and C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan’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 Audi A6 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A6. But it costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The A6 has standard Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. Car-to-X Communication costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

The A6’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

Both the A6 and the C-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The A6’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the C-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the A6 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Audi will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the C-Class Sedan.

The A6’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 107 more horsepower (362 vs. 255) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (406 vs. 295) than the C-Class Sedan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A6 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The C-Class Sedan requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The A6 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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A6’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A6’s brake rotors are larger than those on the C-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the A6 has larger standard tires than the C-Class Sedan (245/45R19 vs. 225/45R18). The A6’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the C-Class Sedan (255/40R20 vs. 225/40R19).

The A6’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 C-Class Sedan’s optional 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A6 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the C-Class Sedan. The A6’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the C-Class Sedan.

The A6 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 C-Class Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the C-Class Sedan don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The A6 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The C-Class Sedan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The A6 has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The A6’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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A6’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the C-Class Sedan (115.1 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A6 is 1.7 inches wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than on the C-Class Sedan.

The A6 has .8 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear legroom than the C-Class Sedan.

The A6 has a much larger trunk than the C-Class Sedan (13.5 vs. 11.6 cubic feet).

Both the A6 and the C-Class Sedan have standard heated front seats. The A6 Premium Plus/Prestige also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the C-Class Sedan.

The A6 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the C-Class Sedan.

The A6’s optional Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The C-Class Sedan’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.