Audi Q4 e-tron review - Reliability and safety
Excellent safety kit is reassuring, but Driver Power customer feedback needs to improve
Audi has a reputation for producing stylish, premium cars with plenty of luxury and a high level of fit and finish. So, it’s surprising to see the manufacturer finish in 23rd spot out of 30 brands in our 2021 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. In the Driver Power cars poll, the highest placed car was the Q3 SUV in 22nd place out of a list of 75 cars.
With the Q4 e-tron’s MEB architecture now in wide use across the VW Group, reliability should be good. As a marker of the platform’s impressive flexibility, Ford has reached an engineering agreement with the German firm which gives them access to produce their own EVs using the same tech.
The Q4 e-tron achieved a full, five-star rating from industry body EuroNCAP, with a 93 per cent score for adult safety and 89 per cent for child passenger protection. Standard safety kit is good, with the base 35 Sport model including cruise control with a speed limiter, a lane departure warning, Audi’s Pre-sense Front system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, traffic sign recognition tech and a Swerve and Turn Assist system.
Upgrading to the Vorsprung spec brings a host of other driver assist technology, comprising an augmented reality head-up display, Audi’s Parking System Plus, Pre-sense side and rear systems, Cross-traffic assist, a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control.
Warranty
Audi offers a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty, with the option to increase this to four years/75,000-miles and five years/90,000-miles cover, at extra cost.
Servicing
A further benefit to buying an all-electric car, aside from its zero CO2 emissions and low running costs, is that it needs much less maintenance than a combustion-engined model. This is borne out by Audi’s recommended two-year/19,000-mile service intervals.
Like many other manufacturers, Audi offers service plans to help spread the cost of scheduled maintenance. In the case of the Q4 e-tron, there are 3 individual plans on offer: Level 1 costs £399 upfront or £22.17 per month (over 18 months) and is designed for those covering lower mileages. Level 2 increases the cover to 36 months and will set you back £785 as a one-off payment or £21.81 per month. Level 3 adds in MOT’s for years 3 and 4 of ownership - costing £880 upfront or £24.44 monthly.
