Used car tests

Used Audi Q8 (Mk1, 2018-date) buyer’s guide: refined but expensive to run

A full used buyer’s guide on the Audi Q8, which has been on sale since 2018

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5 Jun 2025

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Verdict

The Audi Q8 is compromised in a few key ways. It’s costly to buy and run, and not especially engaging to drive, plus it’s also not quite as practical as it should be for its size. But it’s incredibly refined, packed with all of the latest comfort and safety tech, has a roomy cabin, and is effortless to drive on even the longest journeys. Even at this end of the market there’s no such thing as the perfect car, with the Q8’s rivals all open to criticism. However, while we like the Audi, if you’re buying a premium XXL coupé-SUV, we’d check out a few of those alternatives before you decide.

Ever since Germany’s premium brands embraced the full-sized SUV more than two decades ago, there’s been a constant battle to produce something bigger, faster and more luxurious than what has gone before. Just when you think we’ve reached the pinnacle, along comes a new contender, and in the case of Audi it’s the Q8, which is essentially a coupé version of its Q7.

Big, extravagant, fast and expensive, it’s a car that’s glorious to own, but comes at a price. Not to be confused with the recently axed Q8 e-tron EV – launched as the e-tron and a separate model range as far as we’re concerned – the Q8 is an impressive flagship for Audi.

History

The Q8 first hit the UK in summer 2018 with a 282bhp 3.0 TDI diesel engine featuring mild-hybrid tech. At the start of 2019 the 55 TFSI arrived with a 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, then in summer 2019 a 429bhp 4.0 V8 TDI option went on sale, marketed as the SQ8. For those wanting even more, the RS Q8 appeared in spring 2020 with a 592bhp twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine.

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2023 Audi

53,590 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £39,900

View Q8

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2023 Audi

33,506 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £44,400

View Q8

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2023 Audi

18,211 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £51,100

View Q8

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2019 Audi

56,886 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £35,995

View Q8

Reflecting changing tastes, from summer 2020 the SQ8 featured a 500bhp 4.0 TFSI engine powered by petrol. Then just a few months later came the 375bhp 55 TFSI e quattro and 455bhp 60 TFSI e quattro plug-in hybrids; the latter was axed at the end of 2021.

A facelift for the regular models late in 2023 brought a refreshed exterior with matrix LED headlights and extra colours. Then in summer last year, the RS Q8 was facelifted and the 631bhp RS Q8 Performance was added at the top of the range.

On the road

The Q8 weighs roughly 2.5 tonnes, and there’s only so much that Audi could do to disguise this. However, thanks to the standard air suspension and a choice of modes, you can pick what works best for you in terms of the balance between ride and handling, bearing in mind that the steering offers very little feedback.

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Refinement is impressive and all Q8s have an automatic transmission, so this is certainly a car best suited to long-distance motorway drives, as you’d expect of an SUV this size.

Which one should I buy?

The diesel and plug-in hybrid editions are really all you need; even the entry-level 3.0 TDI can manage 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and has a 144mph maximum speed, with decent in-gear acceleration to match. The SQ8 and RS Q8 are impressive but offer little extra in the real world, yet they come with much higher running costs.

Alternatives to the Audi Q8

The Q8’s greatest rival is arguably the Audi Q7. It shares much with the Q8, but it’s more practical with three rows of seats as standard.

If five seats are all you need, the Range Rover Sport might fit the bill; it was our 2023 Large Premium SUV of the Year, with a luxurious cabin and superb abilities on and off road. The BMW X6 was the original coupé-SUV, and the third generation (from 2020) is the most accomplished.

While the X6 is good to drive, the Porsche Cayenne Coupé is the class leader dynamically, plus it has a superb interior. Other rivals include the Mercedes GLE, Maserati Levante and Volkswagen Touareg.

What to look for

Towing

There’s great news if you want to tow, because all versions are capable of pulling up to 3,500kg, which covers even the biggest caravans.

Brakes

Some owners have had problems with their brakes emitting grinding or squealing sounds. New discs and/or pads can fix things, but not necessarily permanently.

PHEV range

At first the 55 TFSI e had a 17.8kWh battery, but from spring 2024 it was upgraded to 25.9kWh. This boosted the electric range from a claimed 28 miles to 51 miles.

Common issues

The Q8’s rarity means faults are hard to pin down, but owners’ forums contain a few tales of woe focused on the electronics, many of them software related. So check that absolutely everything works.

Interior

For a long time now, Audi has produced high-tech cabins that also tend to be easy to live with. There’s an element of technical overload with the Q8, but it looks very premium with its two digital displays and expensive materials, while the instrumentation is also digital, and much of the switchgear is touch-sensitive.

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The sharply sloping tailgate means there’s no space for a third row of seats, so all Q8s are strictly five-seaters, yet whichever row you’re in there’s no shortage of head or legroom, with plenty of seat adjustment available up front. As you’d expect, the boot capacity isn’t limited, either; 605 litres is ample, but way behind the Q7’s 770 litres. Drop the Q8’s back seats and this rises to hefty 1,755 litres.

Prices

Almost three-quarters of the Q8s for sale are diesels; virtually all of the rest are 55 TFSI petrol editions, while plug-in hybrids are very rare.

Check the price of an Audi Q8 with our free car valuation tool...

Running costs

As you’d expect, the Q8 is expensive to run. Virtually all variants are in insurance group 50, with just a few diesels in group 48. All Q8s are subject to the road tax supplement, which means £620 each year until the car’s sixth birthday. Fuel bills will also be steep, although the plug-in hybrids can return excellent economy depending on your style of driving.

Maintenance is costly too, with an oil change pegged at £325. Add an inspection and this jumps to £565; there’s a choice of fixed (12 months/9,300 miles) or variable (two years/18,600 miles) schedules, with the latter set as the default option from the factory.

Recalls

Audi has recalled the Q8 seven times so far. Poorly made shock absorber forks were behind the first recall, in February 2019; the second came in March 2020 because the steering column of some cars hadn’t been tightened correctly.

Gearbox oil leaks were the reason for recall three, in May 2020; the fourth campaign was launched in June 2021 because sub-standard retaining nuts were fitted in the rear suspension. This led to the fifth recall, in February 2022; that fix on the rear suspension could lead to the wheel alignment being out.

Faulty front seat frames led to recall six, in November 2023, while airbag glitches caused the latest recall campaign, issued in January last year.

Driver Power owner satisfaction

The Q8 hasn’t appeared in our Driver Power surveys, but there were three Audis in the latest poll. The A5 Mk2 came 38th out of 50, the A1 Mk2 managed 43rd, while the A4 Mk5 was 44th. So no spectacular results for Audi, and this is backed up by a 27th place out of 32 in our Brands survey.