Audi Q4 e-tron vs Mercedes EQA: safety and reliability
The EQA’s five-star Euro NCAP rating inherited from the B-Class and the equally high rating from the Q4 e-tron’s sister cars from VW and Skoda are all positives for both models
While neither of these cars has been given a rating by Euro NCAP, given the reliability and rating of the cars that share the EQA and Q4 e-tron’s platforms, we don’t have any concerns.
The Q4 e-tron utilises the MEB platform that serves as the underpinnings for the Volkswagen ID.4, Volkswagen ID.3 and Skoda Enyaq iV. All of which received the maximum five-star rating when they were put through Euro NCAP’s barrage of crash tests.
All Q4 e-trons get cruise control, lane-departure warning, rear parking sensors and road-sign recognition. However, additional features like side assistance, cross-traffic assistance, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and emergency assistance that are standard on top-spec models are available as part of the optional ‘comfort and sound pack’ and ‘safety pack plus’ option bundles for the less expensive variants.
It’s worth noting that while the EQA itself has not been given a rating by Euro NCAP, back in July 2021 the European safety body decided to apply the Mercedes B-Class' five-star crash-test result from 2019 to the EQA, due to the two cars' similarities under the metal. The individual section scores of 97% for adult occupant protection, 90% for child occupant protection and 75% for safety assist systems were carried over, too – meaning the EQA can be considered an exceptionally safe choice.
Plus, every EQA model comes with lane-keeping assistance, speed-limit assistance and blind-spot monitoring, plus LED headlights with automatic high beams. The optional ‘driving assistance package’ is available across the range too for £1,495 and adds adaptive cruise control, active speed-limit and steering assistance and active emergency stop assistance amongst other extras.
What’s less impressive, in the case of both Mercedes and Audi, is their rankings in the 2020 Driver Power survey, where neither premium brand seemed to live up their promise. Audi’s range as a whole finished a disappointing 21st place overall out of 30 brands in our 2020 survey, while its dealers were ranked a middling 13th out of 25. Mercedes fared worse still, with its dealers named 21st best, while as a manufacturer it ranked near the bottom, in 28th spot.
