Used Audi A6 cars for sale

Used Audi A6 pros and cons

Is a second-hand Audi A6 a good car?

The Audi A6 is a big, posh saloon that’s actually easy to confuse with the mighty A8 limo from a distance. It’s a bit like Father Ted’s cows; one is smaller, one is further away…

Actually, once you’ve sat in an A6 you might not feel the need to trade up to an A8, given that the cabin is beautifully made and there’s plenty of space, not to mention more than a few high-tech features. 

That cabin works really well, with exceptionally high levels of quality and comfort in the front. It might be well made, but it can look and feel a bit cold and hard-edged, unless you find one with optional pale leather trim.

There’s plenty of comfort though, with great front seats and loads of room up front. Rear seat passengers get more room than they will in a BMW or Mercedes, and the saloon’s boot holds up to 530 litres of luggage — plenty enough for suitcases or golf clubs, and if you need more room or more versatility there’s always the handsome Avant estate, which would always be our pick of the A6 lineup. 

Even on the optional stiffer S-Line sports suspension, the A6 is a comfy thing, loping along most roads without much complaint. For the ultimate in comfort, there was optional air suspension too, which turns the A6 into possibly the ultimate motorway cruiser. It’s good on twisty roads too, but never as much fun as a BMW 5 Series nor Jaguar XF.

One issue is that no matter which engine you picked, quite a lot of the A6’s more high-tech features remained on an expensive options list — including adaptive cruise control, and rear-wheel steering.

What to look for when buying a used Audi A6

The A6 seems to be a very solidly-built car, and major reliability issues are rare. If it’s a model with air suspension, most likely an Allroad model, that can develop faults but it’t not a hugely common issues. Check for any issues with diesel particulate filters, especially on a low-mileage example, while the infotainment system is a frequent culprit when it comes to small, niggling issues. 

The Audi A6 didn’t feature in the most recent Driver Power Top 50 Cars To Own list (although the distantly related Audi A5 did, finishing in 38th place, with a solid rating for reliability). Audi finished in a surprisingly low 27th place out of 32 brands in the overall Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, with 21% of owners reporting faults. 

Audi A6 FAQs