Audi A6 Avant review - Reliability and Safety

The A6 Avant is loaded to the rafters with active and passive safety systems, so it was no surprise to see it awarded a maximum five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP. When the A6 saloon was tested in 2018, it received a 93 per cent rating for adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child protection, 81 per cent for vulnerable road users and 76 per cent for safety assist technology.

Autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning are standard across the range, as are multiple airbags, cruise control and a rear-view camera. Safety upgrades are available in the form of options packs, including a £2,000 Tour Pack, comprising adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, high-beam assist and lane departure warning with emergency assist.

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A £1,400 City Assist Pack adds blind spot assist, pre-sense in the event of a rear-end collision and cross traffic assist. Further options include park assist, head-up display and a £2,200 Night Vision Assistant, which displays a thermal image of the car’s surroundings, highlighting people and animals.

The latest A6 Avant is too new for us to judge its long-term reliability, but Audi finished 18th out of 27 on the list of the best and worst car manufacturers in our 2018 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.  

Warranty

Audi offers a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty on the A6 Avant, which is beginning to look a tad miserly. Rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW don’t limit the mileage, while non-premium manufacturers offer five- or seven-year packages.

On the plus side, it’s possible to upgrade to a four- or five-year new car warranty, while extended warranties are available from £200.

Servicing

Fixed-price service plans are a cost-effective way of paying for maintenance, with two consecutive services available for a fixed price. You’ll pay around £470 upfront or £26 a month over 18 months for the 2.0-litre (40 TDI) diesel engine and £600 or £33 a month for the 3.0-litre (50 TDI) diesel engine.