Compare the2027 Audi A6 e-tronVS 2026 Subaru Solterra

The A6 e-tron’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Solterra doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A6 e-tron and Solterra have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A6 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 Solterra’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.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The A6 e-tron has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Solterra doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

Both the A6 e-tron and the Solterra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Audi A6 e-tron weighs 439 to 797 pounds more than the Subaru Solterra. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the A6 e-tron is safer than the Solterra:

The Audi A6 e-tron has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Solterra is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

The A6 e-tron comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Solterra’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The A6 e-tron’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Solterra’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the A6 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. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Solterra.

The A6 e-tron’s standard electric motor produces 142 more horsepower (375 vs. 233) than the Solterra’s standard electric motors. The A6 e-tron’s electric motor produces 37 more horsepower (375 vs. 338) than the Solterra XT’s standard electric motors. The A6 e-tron Quattro’s standard electric motors produces 118 more horsepower (456 vs. 338) than the Solterra XT’s standard electric motors.

On the EPA test cycle the A6 e-tron gets better mileage than the Solterra:

The A6 e-tron can travel longer on a full charge than the Solterra on a full charge:

The A6 e-tron’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 Solterra doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A6 e-tron’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Solterra:

The A6 e-tron stops shorter than the Solterra:

For better traction and acceleration, the A6 e-tron has larger standard rear tires than the Solterra (245/50R19 vs. 235/60R18). The A6 e-tron’s rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the Solterra (265/40R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The A6 e-tron’s standard 225/55R19 front and 245/50R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series front and 50 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Solterra Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The A6 e-tron’s 235/45R20 front and 265/40R20 rear tires have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile than the Solterra Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A6 e-tron has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Solterra Premium.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the A6 e-tron can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Solterra doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The A6 e-tron offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Solterra’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The A6 e-tron Prestige has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The A6 e-tron’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 Solterra doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A6 e-tron’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Solterra (116.1 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A6 e-tron is 2.4 inches wider in the front and .3 inches wider in the rear than on the Solterra.

The A6 e-tron Prestige handles at .88 G’s, while the Solterra Touring pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A6 e-tron has .2 inches more front shoulder room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Solterra.

The A6 e-tron has a much larger cargo volume than the Solterra with its rear seat up (26 vs. 23.8 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the A6 e-tron. The Solterra doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The A6 e-tron uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Solterra uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The A6 e-tron Premium Plus/Prestige offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Solterra doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The A6 e-tron’s power window, power lock and power mirror switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Solterra’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The A6 e-tron’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Solterra’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the A6 e-tron has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Solterra doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The A6 e-tron’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Solterra has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Audi A6 e-tron has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Solterra Limited/Touring.

The Audi A6 e-tron has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the infotainment. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Subaru charges extra for Homelink® on the Solterra.

The A6 e-tron is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Solterra doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Audi A6/S6/RS 6 outsold the Subaru Solterra by 113 units during 2025.