Audi A8 review - Reliability and safety

There's a great range of safety kit with the A8 - the flagship saloon boasts adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, lane departure warning, a rear-view camera, park assist and auto emergency braking. The A8 is unlikely to be crash tested by Euro NCAP, but recent Audi saloons and SUVs have emerged with a maximum five-star rating.

The A8 didn't make an appearance in our latest Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. Audi itself tends to finish in the lower half of the manufacturer ranking, and 2020 was no different with 23rd place out of 29 car makers. 

Warranty

The A8 is covered by Audi’s standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which can be extended to four years or 75,000 miles for around £1,100, and five years or 90,000 miles for around £2,500. This is the most expensive extended warranty of the entire Audi range, on a par with the R8.

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Servicing

Servicing an A8 is no more onerous than caring for an A1 or A3. Depending on the amount of miles you intend to drive in a year, you can choose from either a fixed inspection or flexible service schedule.

The fixed inspection service schedule is aimed at drivers covering fewer than 10,000 miles per annum and includes an oil-change service every 9,000 miles or one year and an inspection service every 19,000 miles or two years.

Anyone covering more than 10,000 miles a year should select the flexible service schedule, which includes an oil-change service at variable intervals up to a maximum of every 19,000 miles or two years, plus an inspection service every 19,000 miles or two years.