Audi Q7 vs Cadillac ATS: which is more reliable?
The Cadillac ATS is ahead of the Audi Q7 on the federal record, 75/100 against 65/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Audi Q7
- 12 model years scored
- 816 owner complaints on record
- about 11 complaints per year on the road
- 48 recall campaigns, 29 safety-critical
- best year 2013 (88/100) · worst 2017 (29/100)
Cadillac ATS
- 7 model years scored
- 383 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 21 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (94/100) · worst 2013 (41/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Q7 against ATS
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Audi Q7
- Engine — 164 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 156 complaints
- Electrical System — 147 complaints
Cadillac ATS
- Power Train — 102 complaints
- Electrical System — 77 complaints
- Engine — 70 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Q7's complaints concentrate in Engine, the ATS's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Audi Q7 — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2021.
Cadillac ATS — avoid: 2013.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Audi Q7 prices at about $55,100 and a Cadillac ATS at about $32,700 — the Cadillac ATS is roughly $22,400 less, and they return 22.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Audi Q7 or the Cadillac ATS more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Cadillac ATS scores 75/100 against the Audi Q7's 65/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Audi Q7 and Cadillac ATS years should I avoid?
Audi Q7: 2017, 2018, 2021. Cadillac ATS: 2013. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Audi Q7 and the Cadillac ATS?
The largest complaint group on the Audi Q7 is Engine (164 complaints); on the Cadillac ATS it is Power Train (102).
Is the Audi Q7 or the Cadillac ATS cheaper to own?
A recent used Audi Q7 prices at about $55,100 and a Cadillac ATS at about $32,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.