Subcompact cars · Gasoline · model year 2026
Audi S3 vs BMW M
For model year 2026, the Audi S3 gets 26 MPG combined and the BMW M 19: a 7 MPG lead, or 37% on the lower figure.
Side by side
| Measure | Audi S3 | BMW M |
|---|---|---|
| Combined fuel economy (best version) | 26 MPG | 19 MPG |
| City | 23 MPG | 16 MPG |
| Highway | 31 MPG | 23 MPG |
| Annual fuel cost | $3,150 | $4,350 |
| Tailpipe CO2 | 346 g/mile | 475 g/mile |
| Lowest rated version | 26 MPG | 18 MPG |
| Rated versions | 1 | 10 |
| Rank in class (best combined rating) | 7th of 13 | 13th of 13 |
| Class | Subcompact cars | Subcompact cars |
| Powertrain | Gasoline | Gasoline |
Better figure in bold; each model's most efficient version.
Fuel economy and cost
Under the file's assumptions the Audi S3 costs about $3,150 a year to fuel and the BMW M about $4,350: $1,200 a year apart on 15,000 miles.
Where each one ranks
Within their class the Audi S3 is tied for 7th of 13 subcompact cars, in the lower half. The BMW M is 13th of 13 subcompact cars, in the bottom quarter.
The Audi S3 has 1 rated version, from 26 to 26 MPG. The BMW M has 10, from 18 to 19 MPG. For the most efficient versions, the Audi S3 is rated 8 higher on the highway (31 against 23), while the BMW M is rated 7 higher on the highway (23 against 16).
The two versions closest in rating are S3: 2.0 L, 4 cyl, Automatic (AM-S7), AWD at 26 MPG and M2 Coupe CS: 3.0 L, 6 cyl, Automatic (S8), RWD at 19, 7 MPG apart.
Ratings by model year
Both models are in the data for 6 model years, 2019 to 2026. The Audi S3 has the higher best rating in 5 of them and the BMW M in 0, with 1 level. The widest gap, 8 MPG, was in 2022, when the Audi S3 led.
| Model year | Audi S3 | BMW M | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 19 | +7 |
| 2025 | 26 | 19 | +7 |
| 2024 | not in data | 19 | n/a |
| 2023 | 26 | 19 | +7 |
| 2022 | 27 | 19 | +8 |
| 2021 | not in data | 26 | n/a |
| 2020 | 25 | 25 | level |
| 2019 | 25 | 24 | +1 |