Compare the2027 Audi S6 e-tronVS 2026 Mercedes EQS

Both the S6 e-tron and EQS have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S6 e-tron 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 EQS’ 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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the S6 e-tron are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The EQS doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S6 e-tron. But it costs extra on the EQS.

The Audi S6 e-tron comes with a standard Top View Cameras and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Mercedes EQS doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the S6 e-tron and the EQS have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The S6 e-tron’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the EQS’ (12 vs. 5 years).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the S6 e-tron for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Audi will pay for cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EQS.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The S6 e-tron’s electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (543 vs. 355) than the EQS 450+’s standard electric motor. The S6 e-tron’s electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (543 vs. 355) than the EQS 450 4MATIC’s standard electric motors. The S6 e-tron’s electric motors produces 7 more horsepower (543 vs. 536) than the EQS 580 4MATIC’s standard electric motors.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi S6 e-tron is faster than the EQS 450+ electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the S6 e-tron gets better mileage than the EQS:

For better stopping power the S6 e-tron’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the EQS:

The S6 e-tron stops shorter than the EQS:

For better traction and acceleration, the S6 e-tron has larger standard rear tires than the EQS (265/40R20 vs. 255/45R20). The S6 e-tron’s optional rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the EQS (275/35R21 vs. 265/40R21).

The S6 e-tron’s standard 265/40R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the EQS’ standard 45 series tires. The S6 e-tron’s optional 275/35R21 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the EQS’ optional 40 series tires.

The S6 e-tron Prestige handles at .92 G’s, while the EQS 580 4MATIC pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S6 e-tron Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the EQS 450+ (24.9 seconds @ .81 average G’s vs. 25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s).

The Audi S6 e-tron may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 550 pounds less than the Mercedes EQS.

The S6 e-tron is 1 foot, 1.7 inches shorter than the EQS, making the S6 e-tron easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The S6 e-tron has a much larger trunk than the EQS with its rear seat up (26 vs. 22 cubic feet).

The Audi S6 e-tron outsold the Mercedes EQS by over six to one during 2025.