Audi Q8 - Reliability and safety

​As you’d expect of an Audi flagship, there’s absolutely loads of safety kit wrapped up in the Q8’s big SUV body. Audi bundles its safety kit into packages, with the top spec Tour package offering adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, collision avoidance from the front and sides, and the ability to match speed limits via road sign recognition.

There are five systems at play in the city, monitoring cross-traffic front and rear, vehicles approaching from the side, plus exit and lane change warnings. A Park Plus Assist package prevents bumps during low-speed manoeuvres, and will also park the car autonomously.

Like the Q7, with which it shares a platform, the Q8 achieved a full, five-star rating in Euro NCAP’s crash tests, scoring an impressive 93 per cent for adult occupant protection and 87 per cent for child protection. The Audi Q8 didn’t appear in our most recent Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, but the brand finished in a disappointing 30th place out of 32 in our best car manufacturer rankings. This is a pretty poor performance for any brand, let alone a premium one.

Warranty

The Audi Q8 gets the same warranty as everything else in the line-up, which means you’re covered for three-years but only 60,000 miles. BMW’s standard warranty is also three years, but you’re covered for unlimited mileage.

Servicing

You can opt for annual services for your Q8 if you’re the kind of driver who does relatively low mileage with lots of short journeys. The alternative is a variable schedule determined by the car’s onboard sensors. This could see service stops extended as far as two years, but not further.