Compare the2025 Audi Q7VS 2025 Tesla Model Y

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The Q7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model Y doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Q7 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model Y doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Audi Q7 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Tesla Model Y has not been tested.

The Q7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Model Y doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q7. But it costs extra on the Model Y.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q7’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Model Y doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Q7 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Model Y doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

The Q7 offers an optional Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model Y only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Audi Q7’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Tesla Model Y does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q7’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Assist uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Automatic Brake Activation automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Q7’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Model Y doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Q7 has a standard Audi Connect CARE, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Q7 and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Audi Q7 weighs 551 to 983 pounds more than the Tesla Model Y. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q7 is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Q7	Model Y
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	145 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	337	358
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	557 lbs.	682 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are over 48 percent more Audi dealers than there are Tesla dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Q7’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q7’s reliability 22 points higher than the Model Y.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 24 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q7 55 TFSI’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Model Y:

	Q7 55 TFSI	Model Y
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	14 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.2 inches

The Q7 stops shorter than the Model Y:

	Q7	Model Y
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	161 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	118 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q7’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (285/45R20 vs. 255/35R21).

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Q7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Model Y doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Q7 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Q7 flat and controlled during cornering. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Q7 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 or off-road. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q7’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Model Y (117.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q7 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For greater off-road capability the Q7 has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8.3 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Q7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q7 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 3.1 inches higher than on the Model Y (9.7 vs. 6.6 inches).

Passenger Space

The Q7 has 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, 4.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.3 inches more third row headroom, 2.7 inches more third row legroom and 8.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model Y.

Cargo Capacity

The Q7’s cargo area provides more volume than the Model Y.

	Q7	Model Y
Third Seat Folded	35.7 cubic feet	30.7 cubic feet

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Q7’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model Y doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Q7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model Y’s (4409 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Tesla Model Y is only 3500 pounds. The Q7 offers up to a 7716 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

A Service Interval Display is standard on the Q7 to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, spark plug replacement, air filter replacement, tire rotation, and vehicle inspections, based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model Y.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Model Y, the Q7 Prestige has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Q7 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q7 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Model Y doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Q7 has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Laser headlights, optional on the Q7 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Model Y’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

Consumer Reports rated the Q7’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Model Y’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q7 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Model Y doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Q7 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Model Y doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Q7’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Q7 has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Model Y doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q7 has standard extendable sun visors. The Model Y doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A manual rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q7 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The Q7 Prestige has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model Y.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Q7 will cost $2135 to $3425 less than the Model Y over a five-year period.

The Q7 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q7 will retain 48.76% to 50.57% of its original price after five years, while the Model Y only retains 45.72%.

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