Compare the2025 Audi Q4 e-tron SportbackVS 2025 BMW iX

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback 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 iX doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Q4 e-tron Sportback and the iX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The iX has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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

For better stopping power the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the iX:

For better traction and acceleration, the Q4 e-tron Sportback has larger rear tires than the iX (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R20).

The Q4 e-tron Sportback’s standard 235/50R20 front and 255/45R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series front and 45 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the iX xDrive50’s standard 60 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Q4 e-tron Sportback’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the iX xDrive50’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 950 to 1000 pounds less than the BMW iX.

The Q4 e-tron Sportback is 1 foot, 2.3 inches shorter than the iX, making the Q4 e-tron Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q4 e-tron Sportback. The iX doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q4 e-tron Sportback Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The iX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q4 e-tron Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The iX doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback and the BMW iX, based on reliability, safety and performance.