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In-depth reviews

Audi Q6 e-tron review

Electric SUV looks great and is comfortable, but the ride quality is compromised

Overall Auto Express rating

4.0

How we review cars
RRP
£61,095 £96,070
Pros
  • Interior quality and space
  • Superb brake feel
  • Value of entry-level models
Cons
  • So-so ride and handling
  • Some driver-assist tech irritates
  • Pricey top-spec variants

Is the Audi Q6 e-tron a good car?

As its name suggests, the Audi Q6 e-tron sits between the Q4 and Q8 e-tron SUVs in terms of size and price. Relative to both sister cars, it also marks a significant step forward in Audi’s EV tech, because it’s the first to use the PPE architecture co-developed with Porsche and seen in the electric Macan. 

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The Q6’s competition runs across a wide spread of rivals, including pricier alternatives, which are led by the BMW iX but also include the Mercedes EQE SUV and Polestar 3. A new-generation BMW iX3 and Volvo EX60 will also be key rivals in the future.

Key specs 
Fuel typeElectric
Body styleMid-size SUV
Powertrain83kWh (75.8kWh useable) battery, 1x e-motors, rear-wheel drive
100kWh (94.9kWh useable) battery, 2x e-motors, four-wheel drive
Safety5-star Euro NCAP (2024)
Warranty3yrs/60,000 miles

How much does the Audi Q6 e-tron cost?

Starting prices for the Audi Q6 e-tron start at around £60,000 for the Sport model, which means it’s roughly £5,000 less than the entry-level BMW iX3. An extra £3,000 is needed for mid-spec S line trim, while the range-topping Edition 1 is another £5,000 on top of that. 

At the top of the range is the SQ6 e-tron. This offers added performance and sportier styling tweaks for the exterior and cabin, but you’ll have to pay a starting price of around £94,000 for the privilege. 

Sport is the entry level to the line-up, but it still comes with a fair amount of kit. There are 19-inch wheels, LED lights with digital daytime running lights, heated front and rear seats, three-zone climate control, a Bang & Olufsen stereo, 360-degree parking cameras and twin organic LED screens.

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Used - available now

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Upgrading to S line trim adds larger 20-inch wheels, sportier trim and badging, privacy glass and a heated, three-spoke steering wheel. It also has a black headlining and embossed ‘S’ logos on the front seats.

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At the top of the range sits the Edition 1, which is the only trim offered with the SQ6. Edition 1 features 21-inch wheels, air suspension, matrix LED headlights, extra body-coloured trim, and electrically adjustable front seats in a mix of microfibre suede and leather with diamond stitching. It also adds a couple of wholly unnecessary features in the shape of a 10.9-inch passenger screen and Audi’s ‘e-tron sports sound’ synthesised engine note.

Electric motors, performance & drive

The Audi Q6 e-tron is stable and the brakes are superb, but its ride and handling don’t quite deliver. It’s safe and predictable rather than being fun.

No variant of the Q6 e-tron feels sluggish in a straight line, but if you’re after some dynamic flair, you’ll be met with a muted response. It feels like an Audi – in that it’s overwhelmingly safe and secure, but lacking in sparkle. You can feel the car’s mass in the corners, and while turn-in is accurate and grip is good, there’s little engagement to be found from this big SUV.

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The Q6 e-tron is the first Audi EV to feature true one-pedal driving, and it works well. There are various strengths for the regenerative braking (controlled via steering wheel paddles), with the most aggressive setting able to bring the car to a complete stop. It’ll provide up to 220kW of recuperation, and Audi claims it can cover “90 per cent of braking scenarios”. Of course, you can switch it off and coast if you’d prefer.

Model Power0-62mphTop speed
Q6 e-tron 83kWh Sport288bhp (with launch control)7.0 seconds130mph
Q6 e-tron 100kWh Sport performance322bhp (with launch control)6.7 seconds130mph
Q6 e-tron 100kWh quattro Sport383bhp5.9 seconds130mph
Q6 e-tron 100kWh quattro SQ6510bhp (with launch control)4.3 seconds142mph

What is the Audi Q6 e-tron like to drive?

In town

With one exception, the braking system on the Audi Q6 e-tron is fantastic. That flaw comes at low speeds and is the hill-hold system, which engages when you use gentle pressure on the pedal and comes on a little too readily when reversing, meaning precise parking manoeuvres – especially uphill, can be a tad jerky.

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That aside, the key to the Q6’s brakes is its ability to recover a huge amount of energy – up to 220kW – through regenerative braking. This means that the physical discs and pads are used only rarely under heavy braking applications. The pedal’s weight is excellent, feeling strong and reassuring even under heavy use. 

Brake regen can be adjusted through four modes (three via steering wheel paddles and a fourth via a ‘B’ mode on the drive selector) plus an adaptive setting, which we soon turned off because, like all too many systems of its type, we found it hard to predict. In the strongest regen mode, one-pedal driving is possible, and with it engaged, the Q6 pulls to a very smooth stop. 

On A- and B-roads

At higher speeds, the Q6 e-tron impresses in some ways, but in others we hoped for more. The air suspension, controlled by a new multi-link design at the front, works well on larger-frequency bumps, soothing passengers as it glides along the road. However, on uneven cambers or the subsided verges of a British back road, the Q6 becomes flustered. 

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Find a poor surface, and it can feel like each wheel is squabbling with its opposite number about where the body should be, rather than working independently to iron out the bumps. This causes a side-to-side wobble over uneven roads. With the damping tightened up in Sport mode, it becomes more controlled, but makes the ride feel unsettled, so there’s a compromise either way. 

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Even in this driver-focused mode, the Q6 feels heavy through corners. This is probably a good thing, because it will remind drivers that there’s a lot of weight at play here. On the other hand, many rivals do a better job of both controlling and disguising their mass.

On the motorway

The ride is at its best on a motorway, where sudden bumps are all but non-existent. Stability is solid, and the motor feels like it has plenty to give, making performance seem effortless even at 70mph. Road noise is greater than we’d have hoped for, though – a BMW iX is quieter at speed.

0-62mph acceleration and top speed

If you need to get a move on, every variant of the Q6 e-tron offers a decent amount of shove, regardless of its 2.3-tonne kerb weight

Audi has dumped the confusing numbering structure it previously used to differentiate powertrains in its model ranges, with the Q6 e-tron the first all-new model to take a different approach. To the buyer, though, the new system still takes a little explanation. 

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The range starts with the Q6 e-tron, which gets a single 288bhp rear-mounted motor (like all of the Q6’s motors, developed in-house and with a greater power density than other Audi EVs). It’s good for a launch control-assisted 7.0-second 0-62mph time and is also offered on Sport and S line trims. 

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Above that sits the Performance, which ups the ante to 322bhp and chops the 0-62mph time to 6.7 seconds. Next is the quattro, with a dual-motor set-up for a total output of 383bhp, dropping the 0-62mph time to 5.9 seconds. 

The SQ6 is the top of the range, and gets a strong 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds thanks to its 510bhp output with launch control. The powertrain responds well, but in Normal mode it can feel lethargic when moving off, so those used to the pep of other EV rivals might prefer the more lively response of the Sport mode.

There’s an energy-sapping top speed of 130mph for the Q6 e-tron models, while the SQ6 e-tron raises this to 143mph. 

Range, charging & running costs

Electric range, battery life and charge time

Of the four available powertrains, all but the base model get a battery with usable energy of 94.9kWh – the entry-level car gets a smaller 75.8kWh useable unit. For the ultimate range, the Performance model, with its big battery and single motor, is the one to have.

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Official WLTP figures suggest that it’s capable of up to 393 miles between charges in Sport trim. That’s slightly up on the Quattro, which is claimed to manage 382 miles at best, or as little as 338 miles depending on wheel size. The SQ6 is said to cover 360 miles, while models with the 75.8kWh battery can do 326 miles. 

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Based on our time behind the wheel of the Edition 1 quattro, the car fell slightly short of the most pessimistic WLTP estimates. Our absolute best in conditions at around 15 degrees Celsius (most EVs tend to do their best work at closer to 25 degrees) produced an efficiency value of 3.1 miles per kilowatt hour, which translates to a range of 294 miles – 44 miles short of the lowest WLTP figure. That’s not bad for an SUV of its size, but things get worse in town, where the hefty Q6 achieves closer to 2.4 miles/kWh in stop-start traffic.

Find a charger quick enough to keep up with the Q6’s 270kW peak rate, and it means a 10-80 per cent charge of the battery (that’s 206 miles of range based on our real-world efficiency) takes 21 minutes.

Model Battery sizeRangeInsurance group
Q6 e-tron 83kWh Sport83kWh (75.8kWh useable)326 miles44E
Q6 e-tron 100kWh Sport performance100kWh (94.9kWh useable)392 miles45E
Q6 e-tron 100kWh quattro SQ6100kWh (94.9kWh useable)359 miles50E

Tax

The EV powertrain makes the Q6 e-tron incredibly cheap to run for company-car users, with Benefit-in-Kind deductions in the 2024/25 tax year starting from just £479 for a higher-rate tax payer choosing the entry-level car.

Insurance groups

Insurance groups range from 44 for the base Q6 e-tron Sport to 50 for the SQ6. Dual-motor models sit in group 49, so are likely to be higher, regardless of model. 

Depreciation

By the usual low standards of large, electric SUVs, the Q6 e-tron’s resistance to depreciation is impressive, ranking above average for the new-car market as a whole. Our pick of the range, the base Q6 e-tron Sport, is predicted to cling on to 57.5 per cent of its value after three years, with even the most heavily depreciating SQ6 retaining over 50 per cent. Compare that with the base BMW iX, which is expected to hold on to only 45 per cent over the same period, and it’s clear that the Audi makes more financial sense.

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To get an accurate valuation for a specific model, check out our free car valuation tool... 

Interior, design & technology

Typically sturdy Audi build quality abounds everywhere, but some might find the Q6’s cabin a little too screen-heavy.

What is the Audi Q6 e-tron like inside?

There’s no getting away from large screens in the Q6 e-tron, with no less than three – including one specifically for the front passenger on higher-spec models – spread across the dashboard. Even some basic controls haven’t fully escaped touch-sensitive input, with a large control panel in the door for the mirrors, lights, locks and electric-seat memory settings. 

While we’d still prefer physical switches for all of these, at least Audi hasn’t confined headlight control within a touchscreen, as is the case for the likes of the Polestar 3.

What is the interior quality like?

This hasn’t always been true for Audis recently, but the finish is flawless inside, with tight panel gaps and sturdy materials. Our one criticism is that there’s a lot of shiny piano-black plastic around the centre console, which looks great in a showroom but doesn’t fare quite so well once it has been subjected to a little wear and tear.

Audi’s sports seats are supportive, but they’re also very firm. Considering that the Q6 e-tron’s buyers are most probably interested in comfort rather than sportiness, it’s difficult to see what advantage these seats provide over the already comfortable standard seats.

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Overall, the Q6 Audi e-tron is a very pleasant car in which to spend time. The screens look great and work very well, while the head-up display is among the clearest in any car currently on sale.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The gently curving displays of Audi’s MMI system measure 11.9 inches for the Virtual Cockpit and 14.5 inches for the main display, and they present a huge amount of information. Many key shortcuts and climate controls remain a permanent fixture on the main touchscreen, but there’s plenty of room for the Google Maps-based navigation system to be shown in a generous size. 

If we have a criticism, it’s that the main menu icons are fairly small, and with so many of them shown on the same page, it’s difficult to find the functions you need.

The optional passenger display seems like a bit of a gimmick. All of the information contained within it is accessible on the main screen that’s inches to one side, so it only really makes sense if the front-seat passengers truly can’t stand sharing the use of the central touchscreen. We like that the tech is obscured from the driver’s view while the car is in motion, but until Audi fits video playback or gaming technology to the third screen, it feels surplus to requirements.

Boot space, comfort & practicality

Buyers are unlikely to be left wanting any more room inside the Q6; when it comes to legroom, headroom and luggage space, the accommodation on offer is impressive.

Dimensions and size

The Audi Q6 e-tron is a standard five-door SUV, and it has the proportions to match. It slots in the Audi line-up between the Audi Q4 e-tron and Audi Q8 e-tron, and has dimensions to match. It’s also slightly longer than the combustion-engined Audi Q5 and nearly as wide as the larger Audi Q7

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When compared with rivals, it’s slightly longer and wider than the BMW iX3, not quite as big as a Mercedes EQE SUV, and takes up a similar amount of space on the road to a Tesla Model Y.

Dimensions
Length4,771mm
Width1,939mm
Height1,648mm
Number of seatsFive
Boot space 526-1,529 litres (plus 64 litres under bonnet)

How practical is the Audi Q6 e-tron?

Seats & space in the front

Audi generally manages to get the basics like the driving position just right, and the Q6 e-tron is no exception. Both the driver’s seat and the steering wheel offer a huge range of adjustment, so regardless of your size, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to set things just right. 

Seats & space in the back

Anyone swapping from either of Audi’s other electric SUVs will find a similar amount of space in the back of the Q6 e-tron; in other words, it’s huge. The seats are comfortable, and the wide bench makes it a pleasant place for three people to sit.

Boot space

At 526 litres, the Q6 e-tron’s boot capacity is generous and, predictably, that figure sits between its smaller range-mate, the Q4 e-tron (520 litres), and the larger Q8 e-tron (569 litres). Unlike the smaller model, however, the Q6 is available with a front boot, which offers another 64 litres of storage that’s ideal for charge cables. It is a £500 extra, though, and you can only open it via a lever in the driver’s footwell, rather than using the key, which is a bit fiddly to release with your hands full.

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The main boot offers a large, square area with netted side sections for securing small items. Levers in the boot make it easy to drop the rear seat backs, and with those out of the way, the total volume grows to 1,529 litres. The air suspension can also be lowered from inside the boot area to make it easier to lift large or heavy items inside.

Towing

Those interested in towing with their Q6 e-tron will need to fit the £1,050 folding towbar. Depending on the version you go for, it’ll pull up to 2,400kg, though the obvious caveats regarding limited range apply here.

Reliability & safety

The Audi Q6 e-tron was tested by Euro NCAP in 2024, and it scored a maximum five-star rating. Its Child Occupant score of 92 per cent is the highest of any car tested that year, making it a reassuring choice for families. 

Audi doesn’t fare as well when it comes to customer satisfaction, however, with the brand’s premium image very much at odds with it finishing a poor 27th out of 32 brands in our latest Driver Power Survey.

Key standard safety featuresEuro NCAP safety ratings
  • Cross traffic and swerve assist
  • Lane-change assistant
  • Lane-departure warning
  • Parking system plus
  • Adaptive cruise control

 

  • Euro NCAP safety rating - Five stars (2024)
  • Adult occupant protection - 91%
  • Child occupant protection - 92%
  • Vulnerable road user protection - 81%
  • Safety assist - 80%

Warranty

The Q6 e-tron comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard, which is par for the course at this price point, but lags behind some less expensive rivals. Audi does offer extended warranties that offer extra time or distance coverage, but are pricey upgrades. The Q6 also comes with a three-year roadside assistance package as standard.

As with most electric cars, the Q6 e-tron has a separate eight-year/100,000-mile warranty that guarantees the drive battery maintains above 75 per cent of its capacity over that period. If it drops below this figure, it’ll be replaced at Audi’s expense.

Servicing

The Q6 e-tron’s service intervals stand at 19,000 miles or every two years, which means that just one trip to the garage is required in the first three years of a typical ownership period. The company also offers a choice of service plans that cover either one or two services, so a maximum of four years.

Audi Q6 e-tron alternatives

There are plenty of premium electric SUVs that take the fight to the Q6. The BMW iX3 is similar, but doesn’t offer as long a range, while the Polestar 3 is a new arrival that offers lots of space inside. The Porsche Macan Electric uses the same platform as the Q6, but with more focus on driving enjoyment. Higher-spec versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E are also in the same price bracket, as are entry versions of the Mercedes EQE SUV.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’d pick the larger battery in S line Performance trim. This offers a decent range with an official figure of 361 miles while having a more premium feel than the Sport model.

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Chief reviewer

Alex joined Auto Express as staff writer in early 2018, helping out with news, drives, features, and the occasional sports report. His current role of Chief reviewer sees him head up our road test team, which gives readers the full lowdown on our comparison tests.

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