16:48 16-12-2025

The most durable mid-size and upper mid-size cars: AUTO BILD's 100,000-km ranking

If you’re choosing a car for long highway runs and frequent business trips, the key priority isn’t cabin ambience but how well the vehicle stands up to years of use and serious mileage. AUTO BILD dug into all of its 100,000-kilometer long-term test results since 2014 and pulled together a dedicated ranking for the mid-size and upper mid-size segments, covering 18 models. Looking at durability rather than brochure gloss tends to separate appearance from substance.

Two Audis lead the field with minimal fault points and a final score of 1: the A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI ultra and the A6 Avant sport 40 TDI. Right alongside are the BMW 320d Touring, also on a score of 1, and the Toyota Prius IV Hybrid, which stayed true to its reputation as a robust hybrid despite small spots of corrosion in concealed areas. High up the table sits the Audi A6 (C7) 2.0 TDI with a 1–: an exhaust issue surfaced near the finish, and inspectors found light rust on the underbody, yet the wagon remained in commendable shape overall. The pattern strengthens the case for picking cars that are engineered to endure, not just to impress on day one.

At the other end of the ranking are the Ford Mondeo Turnier 1.5 EcoBoost, BMW 540i xDrive touring, and Kia Optima 1.7 CRDi, each drawing more critical notes and ending up around a score of three or close to it. For used-car shoppers, this is a practical compass: the gap between an attractive price tag and genuinely economical ownership often starts with hard data from tests like these.