Compare the2026 Genesis GV70VS 2026 Audi Q8

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 GV70 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Genesis GV70 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q8 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GV70 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 Q8 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the GV70 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The GV70’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Q8’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Genesis GV70 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q8, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	GV70	Q8
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-36 MPH

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Genesis GV70 achieved an “Acceptable” rating for its forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Audi Q8 which scored “Poor” - the lowest rating - in these critical safety features.

Both the GV70 and the Q8 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Genesis GV70 is safer than the Audi Q8:

	GV70	Q8
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	274	296
Neck Stress	194 lbs.	235 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	28.5%	34%
Neck Compression	99 lbs.	117 lbs.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the GV70 is much safer than the Q8:

	GV70	Q8
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	MARGINAL

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 Genesis GV70 is safer than the Audi Q8:

	GV70	Q8
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	56	60
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	146 lbs.	260 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	141
Hip Force	543 lbs.	684 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	504 lbs.	593 lbs.

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

The Genesis GV70 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Q8 is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

Warranty

The GV70 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Q8’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Genesis’ powertrain warranty covers the GV70 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the GV70 has a standard 740-amp battery. The Q8’s 380-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis above average in initial quality. With 86 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 60 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Genesis higher than Audi.

Engine

The GV70’s optional 3.5 turbo V6 produces 40 more horsepower (375 vs. 335) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (391 vs. 369) than the Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Genesis GV70 turbo V6 is faster than the Audi Q8:

	GV70	Q8
Zero to 60 MPH	5.2 sec	5.9 sec
Quarter Mile	13.7 sec	14.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102.2 MPH	97.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GV70 gets better mileage than the Q8:

			MPG
GV70
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
		Sport Prestige 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
		3.5 turbo V6	18 city/25 hwy
Q8
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	17 city/23 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The GV70 stops much shorter than the Q8:

	GV70	Q8
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	141 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The GV70 Advanced handles at .84 G’s, while the Q8 Prestige pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Q8 Prestige (26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the GV70’s turning circle is 5.9 feet tighter than the Q8’s (37.7 feet vs. 43.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the GV70 has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q8 (7.3 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the GV70 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Genesis GV70 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 700 pounds less than the Audi Q8.

The GV70 is 11 inches shorter than the Q8, making the GV70 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Genesis GV70 amounts to more than styling. The GV70 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Q8 (.39) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GV70 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The GV70 has 2.5 inches more front headroom and 1 inch more rear headroom than the Q8.

The front step up height for the GV70 is 2 inches lower than the Q8 (17.5” vs. 19.5”). The GV70’s rear step up height is 2.5 inches lower than the Q8’s (17.3” vs. 19.8”).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GV70 easier. The GV70’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.9 inches, while the Q8’s liftover is 33.7 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the GV70’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q8 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the GV70 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q8 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Q8’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GV70’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The GV70 Prestige/3.5T has a 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 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Genesis GV70 retains 48.25% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 41.69% resale value of the 2026 Audi Q8 after five years, which can save the Genesis’ owner up to $18556 in depreciation.

Recommendations

The GV70 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 2 more times in the last 4 years. The Q8 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the GV70 as their 2022 Sport Utility of the Year. The Q8 has never been chosen.

The Genesis GV70 outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by over three to one during 2025.

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