New Audi Q4 e-tron facelift 2026 review: clever updates raise its game, a bit
The refreshed Audi Q4 e-tron gets some welcome upgrades, but hasn't really moved the game on in the EV world
Verdict
We’d forgive anyone for choosing the Q4 e-tron for its Audi badge alone, but it nevertheless remains a solid premium family car choice. It drives well, is packed with great tech and is more than roomy enough for most small families. With the EV market moving so quickly, this update hasn’t moved the Q4 forward as such; instead, it’s helped maintain the Audi’s spot as one of the top models in its class, if not quite the best. Fewer cheap plastics and a slightly lower price tag that gave it more breathing space from the Government’s £50k luxury car tax threshold would help take it to the next level.
The Audi Q4 e-tron has been something of a sleeper hit in Britain; it was the UK’s third-best-selling electric car last year, making Britain Audi’s largest individual market for its Tesla Model Y rival.
With this in mind, the German brand wants to keep that momentum going, and so we have the newly facelifted Q4 e-tron, which feels very much like a case of “as you were”; it maintains what owners love about the car, whilst simultaneously aiming to fix some of the niggling issues and bring the tech – in relation to both the drivetrain and interior – right up to date.
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Other than a new body-coloured grille and customisable LED exterior lighting, the upgraded interior is certainly the most tangible difference between this latest model and the old car. The Q4’s new infotainment set-up is pinched directly from its larger sibling, the Q6, and features two 12ish-inch screens mounted alongside each other in a singular curved panel, supplemented by an additional 12-inch touchscreen for the passenger.
Since the Q6’s launch, Audi has managed to iron out several of the complaints we’ve had with this system, particularly the inability to show full-screen maps in the instrument cluster; now, the digital instruments are not only bright and crisp, but decently configurable, too. Preferences can be changed via buttons on the steering wheel, which look deceptively like touch-sensitive arrangements, but are thankfully tactile buttons and rotary dials.
The main touchscreen remains quick to respond, while it’s large enough to house several widgets at one time. Sadly, though, it’s also now home to the climate controls, because the physical toggle switches have been replaced with air vents. In fact, aside from those on the steering wheel, plus a hazard lights switch and drive mode selector in the centre console, there are very few physical controls to be found at all; Audi’s voice control system works well, but drivers won’t always want to have to pause their music or podcast in order to adjust the temperature or have the passenger control the audio volume.
Opt for the range-topping Vorsprung trim (at an eye-watering premium of around £12,000 above the base Sport model) and you’ll get the aforementioned passenger display; cars without this instead get a decorative panel that neatly matches the interior upholstery. Thanks to a specific coating, the third screen can only be viewed directly from the passenger seat; the driver just sees a black screen. Here, your passenger can adjust the radio or sat-nav, stream video via platforms such as YouTube or Disney+ and even play games. However, given that pretty much everyone nowadays owns their own device capable of most of this, we’re not sure whether it’s worth the upgrade – especially given the cost implications of choosing the Vorsprung model.
While we’re thinking of price, it’s worth pointing out that, with a starting price of just over £46,000, the Audi Q4 e-tron isn’t exactly cheap. Admittedly, nothing with the iconic four rings on its bootlid will ever be the cheapest car in its segment, but you would hope that a model at this price would feel of higher quality inside. Audi has swapped out a lot of the shiny black plastic for a matte grey alternative, but this still feels pretty cheap; it’s not ‘B&M Bargains’ quality by any means – while some materials are disappointing, the fit-and-finish remains a highlight – but it’s worth considering that the similarly sized Skoda Enyaq and Elroq don’t feel much less premium, despite costing significantly less than the Audi.
Mercifully, the base Sport model has (almost) all of the kit you’d want, leaving little reason (other than bragging rights) to move up the model range. Standard fare includes heated part-leather front sports seats, tri-zone climate control, a wireless phone charger, adaptive cruise control, front-and-rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and a powered bootlid. Rather miserly, though, Audi makes you pay an extra £995 for a heat pump on all models.
As before, buyers can choose between the traditional Q4 SUV or the slinkier Q4 Sportback – we spent the majority of our time in the latter and it adds around £1,900 to the cost. Both versions come with three powertrain options; the entry-level, eponymous ‘e-tron’ model gets a 201bhp electric motor mounted on the rear axle alongside a 63kWh (59kWh net) battery. This will do 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds, return up to 269 miles on a charger (274 in the Sportback) and is ultimately all most owners will ever need.
Yet the bulk of sales are instead expected to be the mid-spec Performance, which gets a more powerful 282bhp motor, plus a beefier 82kWh (77kWh net) battery. The result is a longer range of up to 353 miles (361 miles in the Sportback) and a reduced 0-62mph time of 6.1 seconds. Our drive took in a mix of autobahn, town and country roads in sunny conditions and returned an average of 4.14 miles per kilowatt hour – translating roughly to a range of 320 miles.
Finally, the ‘e-tron Performance quattro’ variants keeps the same battery and add an extra electric motor on the front axle for a combined 335bhp; the range-topping Q4 will reach 62mph in just under 5.5 seconds, returning a slightly reduced 331 miles (338 miles for the Sportback) on a charge.
Sound familiar? Well, that’s because all of this is mostly a rehash of the outgoing model’s line-up, bar the ‘45 e-tron quattro’ which is no longer offered and was effectively an e-tron Performance with four-wheel drive, but no extra power. The additional range the facelifted Q4 benefits from over its predecessor is mainly thanks to efficiency tweaks both under the skin and via the bodywork, rather than by implementing an all-new battery pack. The electric motor at the rear is also new, but it offers almost identical performance to the old car.
Nonetheless, Audi has bumped up charging speeds for the range-topping Performance quattro to 185kW; despite the e-tron and e-tron Performance maxing out at 160kW and 165kW respectively, a 15-80 per cent top-up takes less than half an hour in every version.
Not fiddling with the fundamentals is perhaps a good thing, though, because the way the Q4 e-tron drives is one of its strongest assets. As with most Audis, the updated SUV aims to blend comfort with driving enjoyment and this latest version continues to strike the perfect balance for what most family SUV drivers will be after; the steering is light, yet direct (even in dynamic mode) and whilst the wheel might not be brimming with feel, it’s nevertheless easy to know exactly which way the front axle is turning.
Thanks to its rear-drive bias/layout, the Q4 provides that sporty sensation of being pushed out of the corners, even going as far as to wag its tail somewhat if you’re a little too eager on the power. There’s not all too much body roll when travelling fast through corners, despite the fact the Audi SUV’s supple suspension tends to soak up much of the shock of any bumps you might encounter.
As a whole, the Audi Q4 e-tron is a very relaxing, and even rather enjoyable car to drive. It’s easy to make effortless progress, particularly now, thanks to the new addition of one-pedal driving, which can be adjusted via paddles on the steering wheel. We found this very easy to modulate and control gently, meaning the passenger wasn’t choked by their seatbelt any time we let go of the throttle and the car began recuperating energy.
Aside from the designated parking spaces of mid-level executives, the Audi Q4 e-tron’s natural home will continue to be stationed outside posh private schools. Hence, buyers will like the fact that the Q4’s roomy 520-litre boot remains unchanged, as does the spacious rear seating arrangement; we found that average-height adults will be more than comfortable enough sitting in the back of the Q4 for longer stretches, with good head and knee room – even in the swooping Sportback model.
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| Model: | Audi Q4 Sportback Vorsprung e-tron Performance |
| Price: | £65,560 |
| Powertrain: | 77kWh battery, 1x e-motor |
| Power/torque: | 282bhp/545Nm |
| Transmission: | Single-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive |
| 0-62mph: | 6.6 seconds |
| Top speed: | 111mph |
| Range: | 348 miles |
| Charging: | 165kW (10-80% in 29 minutes) |
| Size (L/W/H): | 4,603/1,865/1,620mm |
| On sale: | Now |
