Compare the2025 Cadillac LyriqVS 2025 Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback

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 Lyriq are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 e-tron Sportback 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 Cadillac Lyriq achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback has not been tested.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Lyriq has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Lyriq’s optional 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 Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Lyriq and the Q8 e-tron Sportback 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Lyriq 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8 e-tron Sportback. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 e-tron Sportback ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 84 percent more Cadillac dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Lyriq’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Cadillac higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 79 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Cadillac higher than Audi.

The Lyriq’s optional electric motors produces 113 more horsepower (515 vs. 402) than the Q8 e-tron Sportback’s standard electric motors.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac Lyriq electric motors is faster than the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback (base engine):

On the EPA test cycle the Lyriq gets better mileage than the Q8 e-tron Sportback:

The Lyriq can travel longer on a full charge than the Q8 e-tron Sportback on a full charge:

For better traction, the Lyriq has larger standard tires than the Q8 e-tron Sportback (265/50R20 vs. 255/50R20). The Lyriq’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q8 e-tron Sportback (275/40R22 vs. 265/45R21).

The Lyriq’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium ultra’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Lyriq has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium ultra.

The Cadillac Lyriq’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Lyriq can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Lyriq’s wheelbase is 6.7 inches longer than on the Q8 e-tron Sportback (121.8 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Lyriq is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Q8 e-tron Sportback.

The Lyriq offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Lyriq has 3.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Q8 e-tron Sportback (105.1 vs. 102).

The Lyriq has .5 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q8 e-tron Sportback.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Lyriq’s rear seats recline. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Lyriq has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q8 e-tron Sportback with its rear seat up (28 vs. 27.2 cubic feet). The Lyriq has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 e-tron Sportback with its rear seat folded (60.8 vs. 54.5 cubic feet).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Lyriq uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Lyriq’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Q8 e-tron Sportback’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Lyriq has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Cadillac Lyriq has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Q8 e-tron Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige offers wireless charging.

The Lyriq offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Lyriq is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q8 e-tron Sportback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2024 issue and they ranked the Cadillac Lyriq Luxury AWD higher than the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback.

The Cadillac Lyriq outsold the Audi Q8 e-tron by over three to one during 2024.