Audi RS6 Avant (2013-2018) review - Reliability and Safety

Audi finished a disappointing 18th out of 26 brands in our Driver Power 2018 satisfaction survey, which is identical to its placing in the 2017 results, although that was out of 27 manufcaturers.

Still, the RS6 Avant is based on Audi’s regular A6 model, which we’ve heard no horror stories about, and because it uses a lot of proven tech from across the range, the RS6 shouldn’t be unreliable.

Euro NCAP hasn’t crash tested the A6 estate, but the standard A6 saloon was awarded a five-star rating back in 2011. Adult occupant safety was rated at 91 per cent, child occupant safety at 83 per cent, and pedestrian safety at 41 per cent. The BMW 5 Series tested the year before rated 95 per cent, 83 per cent and 78 per cent, while the latest Jaguar XF scored 92 per cent, 84 per cent and 80 per cent in 2015.

With differences between the A6 saloon and Avant/estate variants being relatively marginal from a front and side impact perspective, we’d expect the RS6 to perform similarly to the saloon in tests. And with six airbags and stability control as standard the spec list is reassuring, too. If you find a car with the Assistance Pack, this adds adaptive cruise control, pre-sense plus with braking assistance and active lane assist to the safety roster.

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Warranty

Audi offers a three year/60,000 mile warranty on all its cars, but the mileage cap only kicks in during year three – in other words the first two years cover includes unlimited mileage.

Original owners could boost cover to four years/75,000 miles or to five years/90,000 miles for additional cost.

Servicing

The RS6 Avant has different servicing schedules that are mileage dependent. If you drive less than 10,000 miles with lots of city driving and short journeys, you’ll need annual oil changes and biennial inspections. High mileage drivers will have variable oil change schedules up to a maximum of 19,000 miles/2 years, and they’ll still need the biennial inspections.