Audi Q5 review
The third-generation Audi Q5 builds upon an already proven formula of passenger comfort and in-car tech. Our tests have shown it’s a very polished family car.
Our opinion on the Audi Q5
If you’re after a comfortable, refined, spacious and tech-filled premium mid-size SUV, then the third generation Audi Q5 delivers. This is a soothing car to drive, and ideal for long motorway journeys, although its hybrid technology also makes it surprisingly well suited to urban use. But while the interior looks fantastic, the quality could be better in places, and key rivals offer greater practicality and driving pleasure.
We much prefer the diesel engine over the noisy, lacklustre petrol that chips away at the Q5’s otherwise impressive levels of refinement. However, the plug-in hybrid versions are likely to make up for the shortcomings elsewhere in the line-up.
About the Audi Q5
Predictably, Audi hasn’t held back with the latest version of its most popular car. The Q5 makes use of the German brand’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture, which is designed to accommodate a range of electrified powertrains, from mild hybrid to plug-in hybrid. As you’d expect from a car with four rings on the nose, the marque’s quattro four-wheel drive is available – it’s standard on every model, as are automatic gearboxes.
Buyers have a choice of 2.0 TDI diesel and TFSI petrol engines, while the 2.0 e-Hybrid plug-in petrol model has also joined the line-up. At the top of the range is the SQ5, which this time around comes with a V6 petrol engine.
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We’ve tested various versions of the Q5 and SQ5 on UK and European roads so far and completed a full head-to-head examination of the 2.0 TDI diesel model against the BMW X3 in which the Audi came off second best, albeit narrowly.
Audi Q5 prices and latest deals
Engines, performance & drive
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While it’s a comfortable and refined SUV, the third-generation Audi Q5 doesn’t really feel outstanding in any one area.
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro | 201bhp | 7.2 seconds | 140mph |
| Q5 2.0 TDI quattro | 201bhp | 7.4 seconds | 140mph |
| Q5 2.0 e-Hybrid quattro | 295bhp | 6.2 seconds | 155mph |
| SQ5 3.0 TFSI quattro | 362bhp | 4.5 seconds | 155mph |
The Q5 comes with a fairly strong line-up of engines, with TFSI petrol and TDI diesel units both with 201bhp and a 295bhp plug-in hybrid variant that can travel up to 62 miles on electric power alone.
For many buyers who aren’t going through a company-car scheme, the diesel model will probably make the most sense. This uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit that offers 400Nm of torque, which is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission.
Both petrol and diesel Q5s come with a 48-volt mild-hybrid boost. On paper, the 24bhp output is more substantial than some rivals’, but we’d like it to be a little more punchy off the line.
When pulling out of a junction, there’s quite a delay before the diesel model actually gets going, so unless you put the drive selector into Dynamic mode and mash the accelerator, it’s not an engine that’s up for showing much urgency. Flat out, performance is strong, but it doesn’t feel quite as flexible as competitors’ powertrains in-gear.
While the engine is fairly hushed, we found that the diesel in the BMW X3 is a little more refined than the Q5’s, both under hard acceleration and at a more settled cruise. But we are being picky here, because it’s still a strong powertrain with impressive refinement; it’s just that the competition does things slightly better.
That said, we still believe that the diesel powertrain is the best option for the Q5. The 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine offers marginally better on-paper performance, but the diesel’s extra torque makes it feel more lively in the real world. It’s quieter, too.
Town driving, visibility and parking
We’ve only tested the Q5 with air suspension so far, and this has its benefits and drawbacks, and it’s around town where it tends to display more of the latter. That’s because the air springs tend to struggle to deal with shorter, sharper bumps over potholes and drain covers, clunking into them more clumsily than a car riding on coil springs and dampers.
The Q5’s high seating position contributes to good all-around visibility. While the car’s size can make narrower streets and parking a bit tricky on occasion, a standard-fit array of sensors and a reversing camera help to minimise any potential problems.
Country road driving and handling
At higher speeds out of town, the Q5 achieves what it needs to. It’s not exciting to drive, but it’s reassuring, predictable and stable, with strong grip. The steering is among the Audi’s best traits, because it’s nicely geared to match the response of the car, and the weight feels natural without being unduly heavy.
The air suspension set-up feels resistant to body roll, and the ride settles down nicely. Sport mode lowers the Audi’s ride height, which trades a little of that smoothness for tighter body control in bends.
Motorway driving and long-distance comfort
The Q5 is at its best when on a motorway, with only a distant rumble of road noise interrupting the peace. However, while it’s comfortable, it doesn’t quite offer the effortless, gliding sensation you get in the latest Audi A6 – in both its internal-combustion engine and electric forms. If you don’t need the SUV bodystyle, then the A6 saloon is the superior motorway cruiser.
“The throaty 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6 in the SQ5 is smooth and has plenty of power. But more impressive to me was the howling note when you put the hammer down, with the occasional pop and crackle when you lift off the throttle.” - Ellis Hyde, news reporter
MPG & running costs
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During our time at the wheel of the Q5 2.0 TDI, we averaged 43.2mpg on a wide mix of roads. For a biggish SUV with four-wheel drive, that’s a fairly impressive return, but it’s still behind the even more frugal BMW; the X3 xDrive20d managed almost 47mpg in the same conditions.
| Model | MPG | CO2 | Insurance group |
| Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro | 40.4mpg | 159g/km | 37 |
| Q5 2.0 TDI quattro | 47.0mpg | 158g/km | 38 |
| Q5 2.0 e-Hybrid quattro | 111.3mpg | 58g/km | 43 |
| SQ5 3.0 TFSI quattro | 34.1mpg | 188g/km | 45 |
Electric range, battery life and charge time
The Q5 e-Hybrid comes with a 25.9kWh battery that offers up to 62 miles of range, which is a decent figure for a PHEV. Unlike some rivals, Audi offers DC charging on the Q5 e-Hybrid, with a maximum rate of 150kW accepted. This can take the battery from zero to full capacity in 11 minutes, while an AC home wallbox will do the same job in under four hours.
| Model | Battery size | Range | Insurance group |
| Q5 2.0 e-Hybrid quattro | 25.9kWh | 62 miles | 43 |
Insurance groups
Insurance groups for the Q5 2.0 TDI start from 38. The equivalent BMW X3 sits in group 33. Elsewhere, the 2.0 TFSI petrol sits a group lower, while the e-Hybrid and SQ5 sit in groups 43 and 45 respectively. Upgrading from Sport to S line trim bumps the group rating up by one, and the Edition 1 is two groups higher than that.
Tax
Every Q5 is liable for the standard rate of VED road tax, and every single model also sits north of the £40,000 mark, so the luxury car tax surcharge applies across the board. This means owners face a combined annual bill of £620 between the second and sixth years after the car is first registered.
Company car buyers will be best served by the plug-in hybrid models. However, for the very lowest Benefit-in-Kind (BiK), electric cars are the way to go. Fortunately, several EV models now wear the four rings, including the Audi Q4 e-tron, Audi Q6 e-tron, and Audi A6 e-tron.
Depreciation
The popularity of the Audi Q5 means it does well against depreciation. Our data indicates that the Q5 should retain between 47 and 54 per cent of its original value after a period of three years or 36,000 miles. The BMW X3 is ever so slightly stronger here, though, at 49 to 57 per cent.
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Interior, design & technology
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While the Q5’s cabin isn’t short on smart technology, it doesn’t have the wow factor of either BMW’s latest models, or even some of the Audi’s own cars of the past.
Basic kit levels include an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit display, a 14.5-inch central OLED touchscreen, heated leather seats, three-zone climate control, ambient lighting, a powered tailgate, full LED lights front and rear, and a full suite of safety kit including a 360-degree parking system.
S line models add a subtly sportier bodykit, bigger wheels and different interior trim, while the Edition 1 adds even larger wheels, black exterior details, matrix LED lights and a third touchscreen ahead of the front-seat passenger.
Interior and dashboard design
The Q5 follows Audi’s current interior design theme and is hard to tell apart from the A5, A6 and Q6 e-tron, among others. Most of the dash real estate is occupied by up to three screens: a digital driver’s display, the main touchscreen, and, on top-spec models, a 10.9-inch touchscreen on the passenger side. The main infotainment screen looks sharp, but its square shape fits a little awkwardly into the curved edges of the panel it’s set into.
Physical buttons are in short supply, although there are fiddly touch-sensitive ones on the steering wheel. These aren’t the most responsive when you use them, and saw us inadvertently skipping music tracks as the resting position of our hands brushed against the keys.
Materials and build quality
Audi models of recent years seem to have lost the impeccable finish of their predecessors, and the third-generation Q5 is no different. It’s not cheap and nasty by any means, but some of the panel gaps don’t come up to the standards of past Audis. The same can be said of some of the materials too (despite some suede-like coverings on a few panels). It can’t compare with the finish of the BMW X3 – a car which has its own quality oversights.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Audi hasn’t held back with its infotainment technology, and the Q5’s dashboard is dominated by a vast 14.5-inch display. The graphics on the OLED screen are superbly sharp, which shows off the model’s built-in Google Earth mapping to its very best.
We like the fact that there’s a shortcut panel that remains a permanent fixture on the driver’s side of the screen, but unlike older Audis, the driver can’t display the navigation page on the 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument panel that sits directly ahead of them.
Standard kit with the Sport trim includes this set-up, plus 19-inch alloy wheels, heated leather seats and three-zone climate control, plus ambient lighting. There is also a powered tailgate, full LED lights at the front and rear, and a comprehensive suite of safety kit, including a 360-degree parking system.
Upgrading to S line trim costs around £3,000 over the equivalent Sport model, and you get the usual styling treatment, including unique bumpers, grille and exterior trim, 20-inch wheels, sports suspension, privacy glass and special red badges, while inside there’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel, different fabrics, and S logos on the headrests.
The Edition 1 goes all out with 21-inch wheels, matrix LED lights with customisable signatures and black exterior detailing, such as the roof rails, grille surround and air intakes.
“I like the animated tail-lamp design that sees the Q5’s 266 individual OLED segments gently twinkling. A special high-level brake light can also project icons on the rear window, warning people behind when the driver is opening a door. However, this layout also means that braking at night creates a big, red glare in the rear window.” - Alex Ingram - former chief reviewer.
Boot space, comfort & practicality
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For a 4.7-metre-long SUV, the Q5 isn’t mind-blowingly spacious inside. While rear headroom is great, the manufacturer’s A5 saloon offers just as much legroom.
Dimensions and size
A gradual increase in size across the generations has seen the third-generation Q5 outgrow the Mercedes GLC, but the BMW X3 is significantly longer, resulting in a larger boot than the Audi. Elsewhere, the Q5 is bigger than the Lexus NX and Volvo XC60, too.
| Dimensions comparison | |||
| Model | Audi Q5 | BMW X3 | Mercedes GLC |
| Length | 4,717mm | 4,755mm | 4,716mm |
| Width (incl mirrors) | 2,155mm | 2,132mm | 2,075mm |
| Height | 1,662mm | 1,660mm | 1,640mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,828mm | 2,865mm | 2,888mm |
| Boot space | 520-1,472 litres | 570-1,700 litres | 620-1,680 litres |
Seats & passenger space
As with most current Audis, we found it very easy to get comfy, because there’s loads of adjustment in the driver’s seat and the steering wheel. A cooled charging tray keeps your phone’s battery temperatures in check while it tops up wirelessly, and deep door bins add extra storage.
Slip into the back of the Q5, and the seats are very comfortable. The back bench offers a little more under-thigh support than the X3’s, but kneeroom isn’t outstanding for this class. Yet headroom and foot space under the front seats are excellent, and a reclining backrest allows occupants to opt for a more relaxing position. While the middle seat is nicely sculpted, the very high centre tunnel in the floor forces the middle-seat passenger to straddle that hump, which means it isn’t quite as comfortable for three as it could be.
There’s also a Q5 Sportback version that gets a more sloping coupe-like roofline. It wouldn’t be our choice, because our measurements show that it loses a full 80mm of headroom when compared with the SUV for what in official tests is a 1g/km reduction in CO2 emissions, courtesy of that more rakish shape.
Boot space
Boot space in the Mk3 Q5 trails its predecessor, dropping from 550 to 520 litres. That is on a par with the Lexus NX, but the latest X3 has a 570-litre boot, while the Mercedes GLC boasts 620 litres.
Go for S line or Edition 1 trim, and the Q5’s back seats can slide forward to create more boot space, but this leaves a big gap in the load floor for smaller items to fall into. One useful touch is the lack of a load lip, plus there’s enough space underneath the floor to store the parcel shelf.
The rear seat backs can be dropped either by levers on the seats or handles in the boot, and this expands the capacity to 1,473 litres. The area it leaves slopes upwards at the seat backs, which makes loading larger, heavier items trickier. However, the optional air suspension helps, because you can drop the rear of the car by roughly 50mm via a button in the boot. The 690mm figure we measured is with the rear in its lowered position.
Towing
With a braked towing capacity of 2.4 tonnes, the Q5 TDI diesel will be a good choice for hauling trailers. Quattro four-wheel drive and standard automatic gearbox will help with power delivery, as will its strong torque figures.
The 2.0 TSI and high-performance SQ5 also have a towing capacity of 2.4 tonnes, while the e-Hybrid version is slightly behind the others at to tonnes exactly.
“There’s an annoying ergonomic oversight with the touch-sensitive panel mounted on the door, which controls functions for the lights, door locking, electric-seat memory and the adjustment of the door mirrors. I found that it’s positioned right where you would naturally want to grab the door to pull it shut; look at the passenger door and there’s no touch panel, but a grab handle instead.” - Alex Ingram, former chief reviewer.
Reliability & safety
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Euro NCAP tested the Q5 in 2025 and awarded the SUV five stars, with strong scores across the board. The firm isn’t quite as impressive when it comes to customer satisfaction, though. In our most recent Driver Power survey, Audi finished 19th out of 31 in the best manufacturers’ table. Its closest rivals in the segment – Mercedes, Lexus, and BMW – were second, third and eighth respectively.
| Euro NCAP safety ratings | |
| Euro NCAP safety rating | Five stars (2025) |
| Adult occupant protection | 85% |
| Child occupant protection | 86% |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 79% |
| Safety assist | 77% |
Buying and owning
- Best buy: Audi Q5 2.0 TDI S line quattro
Due to the 2.0-litre petrol being a bit unrefined and not particularly efficient, we’d suggest that the 2.0-litre TDI diesel is the pick of the range. That’s unless you are able to make the plug-in hybrid version work for you and are able to charge it frequently – it’s definitely the better choice as a company car. The SQ5 is fine, but it is thirstier still, and isn’t really as fun to drive as its main competition. The entry-level Sport trim is well equipped, but S line is more desirable and has the strongest resale values out of the Q5 range, making it our pick.
Audi Q5 alternatives
The Audi Q5 has several rivals in the premium mid-size SUV segment, the biggest being the BMW X3, a car that has only just toppled the Lexus NX as our favourite Mid-Size Premium SUV in our New Car Awards. Elsewhere, the Mercedes GLC is coming up for replacement, while the Volvo XC60 has been refreshed to keep it competitive. Sportier options include the ageing Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Porsche Macan, which is still sold alongside the newer all-electric version.
Key updates of the Audi Q5 review
Tuesday 24 March: Updated to include the latest depreciation and taxation data.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a competent performer, rather than an outstanding one. It gets the job done in terms of comfort, refinement and tech, but it’s not as interesting to drive as a BMW X3, while the lack of space when compared with its predecessor might be disappointing for owners looking to upgrade.
Deals on the Audi Q5 and alternatives
