Acura and BMW are two of the most recognizable luxury brands. When searching for the right brand to drive, you’ll want to consider some facts.

Every 2023 model from the Acura brand received the IIHS top safety rating, which is not Top Safety Pick+2. This is something no other luxury brand can boast about. Still, BMW is the brand you turn to for incredible driving dynamics and athleticism on the road. The BMW M3 wears the title as the Ultimate Driving Machine, making it one of the most fun and impressive cars on the road.

Which Brand Offers More Value?

When you’re searching for the best price for a luxury car, Acura generally offers some of the most affordable vehicles in the class. This Japanese luxury brand is known for offering value with every model priced lower than comparable BMW vehicles. You might think a lower price means greater depreciation, but that’s not the case. Acura cars generally hold their value much better than most other brands, including BMW. These factors give Acura the advantage in pricing and value, but that’s not where the conversation ends.

Which Brand Offers More Driving Excitement?

If you’re looking for fun and active driving, BMW has everything you want. This German luxury brand offers higher horsepower numbers and much better driving performance features across the vehicle line. There’s a much wider separation with the Acura lineup once you get into the specialty trims. An A-Spec Acura isn’t any competition for a BMW wearing the M-Division badging. If it’s real driving excitement and performance you want, you’ll want to check out what BMW offers.

One Brand Has Several “Best Car” Models

As much fun as it is to drive a high-powered BMW performance machine, the Bavarian brand doesn’t have any vehicles that achieve the “Best Car” rankings. Acura, on the other hand, brings nine vehicles to the mix that have won various awards from publications. According to iSeeCars.com, the nine Acura vehicles that top the charts are:

• Acura MDX – Best Luxury Crossover SUV
• Acura NSX – Best Luxury Hybrid Car
• Acura MDX Hybrid – Best Luxury Hybrid SUV
• Acura RLX – Best Luxury Large Car
• Acura TLX – Best Luxury Midsize Car
• Acura MDX – Bet Luxury Midsize SUV
• Acura ILX – Best Luxury Small Car
• Acura RDX – Best Luxury Small SUV
• Acura MDX – Best Luxury SUV with 3 Rows

Which Vehicles Are the Most Reliable?

When considering reliability, we find a split decision between these two brands. With so many different vehicle categories, its easy to find a vehicle from either BMW or Acura that has the reliability scores you’re looking for.

Acura’s Reliability Winners

• Acura MDX – Most Reliable Luxury Crossover SUV
• Acura MDX Hybrid – Most Reliable Hybrid Luxury SUV
• Acura MDX – Most Reliable Luxury Midsize SUV
• Acura RDX – Most Reliable Luxury Small SUV
• Acura MDX – Most Reliable Luxury SUV with 3 Rows

BMW’s Reliability Winners

• BMW 3 Series Plug-in Hybrid – Most Reliable Luxury Hybrid Car
• BMW 7 Series – Most Reliable Luxury Large Car
• BMW 5 Series – Most Reliable Luxury Midsize Car
• BMW 3 Series – Most Reliable Luxury Small Car

Which Brand Offers the Best Resale Value?

Although Acura offers lower starting prices and better depreciation rates than BMW, only one Acura ranks highest for resale value compared to eight models for BMW. This might have a little to do with the larger model lineup from BMW compared to Acura, but the German brand still bests the Japanese name in this category.

Acura’s Resale Value Winner

• Acura NSX – Luxury Hybrid Car

BMW’s Resale Value Winners

• BMW X1 – Luxury Crossover SUV
• BMW X3 Plug-in Hybrid – Luxury Hybrid SUV
• BMW 6 Series – Luxury Large Cars
• BMW 8 Series – Luxury Midsize Car
• BMW X6 – Luxury Midsize SUV
• BMW M3 – Luxury Small Cars
• BMW X4 – Luxury Small SUV
• BMW X7 – Luxury SUVs with 3 Rows

Which Brand Makes the Most Sense for You?

If you’re searching for a luxury vehicle with a low starting price, you’ll want to choose a vehicle from Acura. As a brand, Acura also offers better overall fuel mileage than BMW, but its only by about one mpg, which might not mean much to some people. The Acura brand also has several models ranked as the best, especially the MDX which takes several of the iSeeCars.com categories.

On the other hand, if you want performance, resale value, and a higher level of luxury qualities in the car or SUV you drive, the BMW brand is where you’ll find what you’re after.

Which brand will you turn to for your next luxury ride?