New AUDI E5 Sportback 2026 review: the best car Audi has built in decades

Verdict

While new Audi models like the A5 or Q6 follow the same old formula, the China-focused AUDI E5 credibly demonstrates a truly fresh start: cool design, a modern interior, digital tech that’s far ahead of the brand’s European models, and a superior electric drive to boot. This makes the E5 perhaps the best car Audi has built in recent decades, it’s just a shame we won’t get it here.

It’s been a while since we’ve driven something that’s caused as much of a stir on the road as the new AUDI E5 Sportback. The roads in question are around Beijing and it’s a good job the locals are paying attention, because this AUDI is being exclusively sold in China. 

Before we get into the E5 Sportback, let's talk about the new ‘AUDI’ brand. The capitalisation is not some marketing blunder that's thrown the German firm’s 117-year history out the window. AUDI wants to be different from the European arm; in fact, it has to be. Because the E5 is the first car resulting from the rescue plan with which the Bavarian firm hopes to regain lost ground in China - currently the world's most important car market. 

Just how serious the company is about this new beginning is evident from the dramatic design of the notably sleek E5 Sportback. AUDI has ditched the ubiquitous single-frame grille, but the E5 Sportback also has a more modern logo – in a new typeface and in capital letters. Perhaps more importantly, almost 100 years after the merger of car manufacturers Horch, Wanderer, DKW, and Audi to form Auto Union, the four Audi rings have been removed. 

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Desperate times call for desperate measures. While all Western brands are currently suffering massive losses in China, none have been hit as hard as Audi. In the first half of 2025, the firm lost ten per cent of its Chinese sales in total and a staggering 25 per cent of its combustion engine car sales. This was a continuation of a trend that had been eroding Audi market share through previous years. 

The response needed to be correspondingly radical and Audi apparently couldn’t manage it themselves, or at least not quickly enough. The dethroned lords of the rings enlisted the help of Chinese state-owned SAIC and AUDI was born. 

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Showcasing a typically Chinese turnaround time, the AUDI E5 Sportback was developed 30 per cent more quickly than previous Audi models. Above all, however, SAIC has provided its Western partner with an 800v ‘Advanced Digitised Platform’ (ADP) complete with electric architecture that already makes the new PPE platform of the Audi Q6 and A6 look quite outdated. Not to mention the digital environment in the cockpit. 

AUDI is also wooing the Chinese market with up to 787bhp, enough to catapult the E5 Sportback to 62mph in 3.4 seconds and on to a healthy 149mph top speed. With 76kWh or 100kWh batteries, the Sportback also achieves a long range of 480 miles, although this is under the more lenient Chinese CLTC testing regime. And while the current Audi PPE models charge at a maximum of 270kW, the AUDI E5 can charge at up to 400kW - bringing the massive 100kWh battery from 20 to 80 per cent in the time it takes to make and chug a coffee. 

In addition, there's a package of driver assistance systems that brings us a step closer to autonomous driving. Because Beijing gives driver assist electronics more freedom than they get under European legislation, the E5 finds its own way even in city traffic. The driver only nominally keeps their hands on the steering wheel, and the Sportback navigates autonomously through the chaos of a metropolis, changing lanes, turning through oncoming traffic, making U-turns, and ultimately maneuvering itself into even the tightest parking spaces without driver input. 

The differences are even more striking inside. Even the latest European Audis, for all their digitalization, appear incredibly technocratic -  more like something from a government office than an avant-garde design studio. The Chinese AUDI feels fresh, airy, and incredibly light. Highlights include the bamboo-effect trim on the door panels, the stylish, slimline seating and the small touchpad that sits on the dashboard like an illuminated iMouse. Three enormous displays run more apps and gadgets than the average European could ever dream of. The advanced technology is complemented by design that seems to come from another planet. 

While it bears the Sportback moniker, this four-door car is more of a sporty estate with plenty of aerodynamic design elements at the front and rear. The boot, at 347 litres, is almost laughably small for a car measuring 4.88 meters in length - though we imagine this might be a quirk of Chinese market demands. In the metal, the E5 looks all the fresher and more original for its unusual proportions.

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Instead of the ubiquitous single-frame grille, there’s a new, noticeably smoother front end with 1,000 LED lights and backlit body elements.  The sleek silhouette is finished by one of the most eye-catching rear ends since the first Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake. 

We’re happy to report that the driving dynamics are typically German - and therefore leagues ahead of many Chinese rivals, even from the executive class. With features like the dual-chamber air suspension and all-wheel steering borrowed from the VW Group's top-of-the-line models, there’s a distinct and precise steering feel with a well-balanced chassis. The way the E5 goes beyond being a mere means of transport to serve as a truly desirable and engaging vehicle makes it all the more frustrating that UK motorists will probably never be able to buy one. 

And then there's the price. While an similarly-sized Audi A6 Avant e-tron starts at around £65,000 here, the E5 launches in China for the equivalent of around £34,000. No wonder 10,000 pre-orders were placed in the first half hour.

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