Compare the2025 Audi Q8 e-tron SportbackVS 2025 Mercedes EQB

Both the Q8 e-tron Sportback and EQB have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 EQB’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 Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps 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 EQB doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The EQB doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q8 e-tron Sportback. But it costs extra on the EQB.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 EQB.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’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 EQB.

Both the Q8 e-tron Sportback and the EQB 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, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback weighs 970 to 1146 pounds more than the Mercedes EQB. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Audi Q8 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 EQB has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the EQB’s (12 vs. 5 years).

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has more powerful engines than the EQB:

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback (base engine) is faster than the EQB 350 electric motors:

The Q8 e-tron Sportback can travel longer on a full charge than the EQB on a full charge:

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’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 EQB doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the EQB:

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the EQB are solid, not vented.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback stops much shorter than the EQB:

For better traction, the Q8 e-tron Sportback has larger standard tires than the EQB (255/50R20 vs. 235/50R19). The Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the EQB (265/45R21 vs. 235/50R19).

The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the EQB’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium ultra has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the EQB. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the EQB.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 EQB; 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 EQB don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The EQB’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The front and rear suspension of the Q8 e-tron Sportback uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the EQB, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’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 EQB doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the EQB (115.1 inches vs. 111.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q8 e-tron Sportback is 2.2 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than on the EQB.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback handles at .92 G’s, while the EQB 350 4MATIC pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the EQB 350 4MATIC (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear legroom and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the EQB.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has a much larger cargo volume than the EQB with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The EQB doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The EQB doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Q8 e-tron Sportback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The EQB doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the EQB. The Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the EQB.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and rear seats keep the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The EQB doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 EQB.

The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Mercedes charges extra for Homelink® on the EQB.

The Q8 e-tron Sportback Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. 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 EQB’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.