New Audi RS e-tron GT Performance 2026 review: a fast EV of rare quality
Audi's e-tron GT took a while to get into its stride, but recent updates make it better than ever.
Verdict
It’s not often that cars get significantly better with age, but Audi’s oft-forgotten e-tron GT is just such a model. It might look similar to the car released back in 2021, but some not-so-small tweaks under the skin – including astonishing new chassis technology – gives this high-performance EV far greater breadth of ability than before. It’s still expensive and a little cramped inside, but Audi’s found the sweet spot in its e-tron GT. It just took a few good years to find it.
Back in 2021 Audi launched what should have been its halo product for the next generation: the e-tron GT. It was an elegant saloon, with world-beating electrified performance and the most extreme take on a new design language that was to define new Audi models for a decade. But fast forward five years and things haven’t quite worked out so well.
Sales of the luxury four-door have been pretty sluggish, and Audi’s design and technological direction have taken a dramatic turn towards a simpler, less cluttered approach. This might have made the e-tron GT something of a black sheep in the current range, one built and designed with an ideology that has been killed off almost before it began. But after a quietly announced set of updates, the new e-tron is now proving itself, and in some pretty spectacular ways.
Used - available now
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E-Tron GT
40,835 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £35,129
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29,949 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £33,240
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22,114 milesAutomaticElectric
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Cash £35,944These changes are not dependent on the range-topping Performance trim, but they’re most evident in the new top-spec model we’re driving here. Audi has fitted a new, lighter battery with its capacity upped from 93kWh to 105kWh, plus new motors and inverters.
The e-tron GT’s charging has also been upgraded from 270kW to 320kW, and because the car has always run on a top-spec 800V electrical architecture, a high-speed top-up from 10-80 per cent is claimed to take just 18 minutes. Even now, the GT still posts near-to-top results when it comes to charging and efficiency.
Performance is improved, too, but perhaps more importantly so is range, with Audi quoting up to 386 miles possible from the entry-level e-tron GT Quattro, and still around 365 miles even on the 831bhp RS Performance flagship.
Acceleration is brutal, relentlessly putting the driver and their passengers through an initial shock of forward momentum that carries on until you’re pushed far beyond the national speed limit. From a standing start, Launch Control will help dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 2.5 seconds, making this the fastest Audi yet.
Like former e-tron GTs, and the Porsche Taycan with which it shares lots of technology, there’s a two-speed transmission on the rear motor that elicits a subtle but satisfying jolt at around 60mph as it flips up to the cruising gear.
Amazingly, despite having such power, the car feels incredibly controllable and not intimidating in the least. Clear and authentic throttle response, together with excellent brake feel and a good level of off-centre steering feel help the prodigious 1,027Nm of torque feel manageable. This is thanks to a superb new active suspension system that’s standard on this Performance Vorsprung model, and a hefty £6,710 option on others.
Without going into too much technical detail, this new suspension system uses electronically controlled hydraulic dampers to infinitely control the body’s movements. This means the Audi does without traditional anti-roll bars, and while it is still on air-springs, the dampers allow it to react far more quickly to dips in the road, or indeed, the extraordinary effects of so much performance on the chassis.
The benefits are clear from the moment you drive away, because the set-up keeps the body incredibly stable, increasing the feeling of agility and engagement. But in the real world, this yields astonishing ride quality, with almost unbelievable softness and comfort, without ever feeling out of control or sloppy.
It’s uncanny; the e-tron glides over horrible road conditions without anyone in the cabin being aware of them. Other than when you hit particularly sharp bumps, which resonate though the wheel rim, rather than the suspension, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish this and hovering over the surface on a cushion of air.
There are a few slightly more gimmicky elements to the suspension system, such as the dramatic way it rises when you open the doors, or the ability to very subtly lean into bends under hard cornering to counteract the car’s natural body roll, but this really is one of the finest-riding new cars on sale – which is incredible considering its exceptional body control and 21-inch wheels.
In terms of the chassis and the way it drives, the new e-tron GT has taken a colossal leap forward, but the rest of the package is fairly similar to before. Yet given what we know about Audi’s more contemporary digital packages, the relatively small touchscreen display and physical air-conditioning controls are a refreshingly simple touch.
The build quality and materials are also from a different era of Audi, so there are very few scratchy plastics, plus you get a sense of solidity missing from its newer models. Space inside is tight – especially in the back seats – and the boot capacity isn’t particularly useful at 351 litres, but the small compartment under the bonnet is a handy spot to store the charge cables.
We’d suggest the Performance’s extraordinary acceleration isn’t strictly necessary, but saving (more than) a few thousand pounds off that model’s asking price and going for a mid-spec S e-tron GT or even the base Quattro variant fitted with the same Active Suspension might just create one of the finest EVs on sale right now. Good things come to those who wait for e-tron buyers, it seems. Shame it wasn’t like this in 2021.
| Model: | Audi RS e-tron GT Performance Vorsprung |
|---|---|
| Base price: | £166,425 |
| Powertrain: | 105kWh battery, 2x e-motors |
| Transmission: | Two-speed automatic, all-wheel drive |
| Power/torque: | 813bhp/1,027Nm |
| 0-62mph: | 2.5 seconds |
| Top speed: | 155mph |
| Range/charging: | 365 miles/320kW (10-80% in 18 mins) |
| Length/width/height: | 5,004mm/1,964mm/1,402mm |
| On sale: | Now |
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