Compare the2026 Mercedes AMG E-Class SedanVS 2025 BMW M8

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes AMG E-Class Sedan have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW M8 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes AMG E-Class Sedan are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW M8 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 AMG E-Class Sedan are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The M8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The AMG E-Class Sedan has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The M8 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Mercedes AMG E-Class Sedan 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 BMW M8 has not been tested.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The AMG E-Class Sedan has Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The M8 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

Both the AMG E-Class Sedan and M8 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the AMG E-Class Sedan has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The M8’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the AMG E-Class Sedan and the M8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available lane departure warning systems.

There are over 9 percent more Mercedes dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the AMG E-Class Sedan’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the AMG E-Class Sedan second among upper midsize premium cars in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The M8 isn’t in the top three in its category.

On the EPA test cycle the AMG E 53 HYBRID Sedan running on electricity gets better mileage than the M8 Competition (55 city/68 hwy MPGe vs. 15 city/22 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the AMG E 53 HYBRID Sedan 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the M8 Competition (22 city/27 hwy vs. 15 city/22 hwy).

The AMG E 53 HYBRID Sedan can travel with zero emissions for 43 miles. The M8 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes AMG E-Class Sedan higher (6 out of 10) than the BMW M8 (2). This means the AMG E-Class Sedan produces up to 27.7 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the M8 every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes AMG E-Class Sedan, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the M8.

For better traction and acceleration, the AMG E-Class Sedan has larger rear tires than the M8 (295/35R20 vs. 285/35R20).

The AMG E-Class Sedan’s optional 295/30R21 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the M8’s 35 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the AMG E-Class Sedan offers optional 21-inch wheels. The M8’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the AMG E-Class Sedan’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the M8 Gran Coupe (116.6 inches vs. 111.3 inches).

The AMG E-Class Sedan has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the M8 Gran Coupe.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the M8, the AMG E-Class Sedan has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The AMG E-Class Sedan has two rear doors to provide better access for cargo and rear passengers. The M8 Coupe doesn’t offer rear doors.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the AMG E-Class Sedan to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The M8 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the AMG E-Class Sedan has standard extendable sun visors. The M8 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The AMG E-Class Sedan offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the M8.

The AMG E-Class Sedan’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The M8’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Motor Trend selected the AMG E-Class Sedan as their 2025 Car of the Year. The M8 has never been chosen.

The Mercedes E-Class outsold the BMW 8 Series by almost three to one during 2024.