Audi Q6 e-tron Review & Prices

This is the new Audi Q6 e-tron, a family-sized electric SUV that aims to offer a posh package combined with the most up-to-date electric drivetrain.

It’s a real example of reverse middle child syndrome - though the Q6 sits in between the Q4 e-tron and Q8 e-tron models in terms of size and price, it has a longer range, posher interior and more modern battery and motor setup than either.

Its starting price of a little under £60,000 puts it in some challenging territory, being equivalent to high-end versions of the Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5. On the other side, the more expensive models in the Q6 e-tron range are comparable against entry-level variants of cars such as the BMW iX and Mercedes EQE SUV.

To look at, you wouldn’t necessarily think the Q6 e-tron is Audi’s newest and most impressive EV, because it doesn’t shout about it at all. In fact, other than the badging and the blanked-out front grille, there are no clues it even is an EV - so it’s ideal for those who prefer to fly under the radar rather than advertise their fuel of choice to the world.

However, it is pretty dull to look at, and you’ll be relying on things like the clever customisable LED daytime running lights if you want to feel much joy looking at the exterior.

Audi Q6 e-tron: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 358-381 miles
Efficiency: 3.7-3.9 miles per kWh
Battery size: 100kWh
Max charge speed: 270kW
Charge time AC: 13 hrs 30mins, 0-100%, 7.4kW
Charge time DC: 21mins, 10-80%, 270kW
Charge port location: Front right and front left
Power outputs: 387/517hp

The interior is rather more impressive. The Q6 e-tron uses two massive displays - an 11.9-inch one for driver information and a 14.5-inch one for infotainment. However, you can also get a really high-resolution head-up display, and a 10.9-inch display for the front passenger to play with - this is cleverly hidden from the driver’s view by a polarising filter.

What’s nicer is that the Q6’s interior isn’t just a sea of black plastic and shiny trim. There’s leather and fabric in interesting places, including a strip running across the full width of the dash, and interesting surfacing to stop it from feeling too boring.

There’s plenty of space, too, with a 526-litre boot beating out just about all the alternatives bar the Tesla Model Y. There’s also a frunk, which is great for storing charging cables or other dirty items that you don’t want clogging up the nice carpeted load space.

Driver and front passenger get comfortable sporty seats with loads of adjustment, and there’s more room in the rear than you get in many alternatives. Storage cubbies are plentiful, including a nice deep wireless charger.

The Q6 e-tron uses a massive 100kWh battery pack, but you can choose between a few variants. There’s a rear-wheel drive Performance model, which has 326hp, or the all-wheel drive quattro with 388hp. The range-topping SQ6 e-tron produces 490hp, which seems low when you compare it to the fastest electric SUVs - but in reality makes the SQ6 very rapid indeed.

All models quote an impressive range of more than 300 miles on a charge, with the mid-range quattro capable of an official 381 miles. That makes it quite a bit more efficient than many alternatives, notably both the BMW iX and Mercedes EQE SUV - that means shorter charging times and less cost, though a Tesla Model Y or Hyundai Ioniq 5 are more efficient yet.

If you like the look of this posh electric SUV, check out our best Audi Q6 e-tron deals. You can also get a great deal on other Audi models, or browse our used Audis for sale here. And remember that Carwow can also help you sell your old car through our network of trusted dealers.

The Audi Q6 e-tron rather sits between various alternatives you might consider. For example, its starting price is a bit higher than fully loaded, high-spec versions of more mainstream models such as the Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5, though it's also a good chunk cheaper than you can get a BMW iX and particularly a Mercedes EQE SUV. With the Audi's badge appeal it feels like it's more of an alternative for these models, and it's more posh inside than the Tesla and Hyundai, meaning it represents pretty good value.

Impressively comfortable on the motorway, but it feels heavy on a twisting back road

In town

The Q6 e-tron is a big, bulky car and it does feel it when you’re trying to manoeuvre around town. The window line is quite high and it’s not that easy to make out where the car’s corners are, so you’ll be relying on the car’s sensors and camera systems to make sure you don’t hit things.

However, the electric powertrain makes for very smooth progress - in contrast to the slightly hesitant gearboxes you’ll find on many of Audi’s combustion-engined cars. The Q6 rides on air suspension, which is very good at coping with large bumps and potholes - it makes speed bumps almost disappear - but it does tend to fidget over smaller imperfections and pockmarked road surfaces.

On the motorway

The Audi’s air suspension does a brilliant job of smoothing out faster roads - it seems to float over bumps, though this does have the potential to make travellers feel a little carsick. You can choose a firmer setting if this bothers you, though.

There’s loads of power available for quick cruising, though a Tesla Model Y feels quite a bit lighter on its feet when it’s accelerating down a sliproad. The Q6 seems to be quite efficient at motorway speeds, though, which is reassuring if you need to use it for a lot of long journeys.

It’s also quite refined, with wind noise well suppressed and obviously no noise from the engine to worry about. All you hear is a little road roar from the very wide tyres.

On a twisty road

Some electric SUVs, like the BMW iX, are quite good fun on a nice winding B-road. The Q6 e-tron isn’t. The steering is very quick, so you don’t need to do a lot of arm-twisting even in tight bends, but it’s very remote and gives you no feedback about where the front wheels are pointing or how much grip they have.

In a series of bends you also tend to feel the Q6’s enormous weight, and especially when you have to brake - it takes a lot of effort to stop the 2.3-tonne Q6, even with the regenerative braking at its most aggressive setting. It’s not really very enjoyable driving the Q6 fast, and you’ll be better off just taking it easy and letting it soak up the road rather than attacking every corner.

A big boot and a useful front boot, but the interior doesn’t feel as spacious or airy as alternatives

The Q6 e-tron is a pretty big car, though it’s still quite a bit shorter than a BMW iX or a Mercedes EQE SUV. Still, front-seat occupants are well looked-after, with loads of adjustment in the driving position and comfortable, sporty seats with plenty of support. They’re electrically adjustable, and heated as standard.

The driver and front passenger get reasonable storage for odds and ends too. There’s a wireless phone charger, buried far enough down in the dashboard that your mobile won’t become a distraction. There’s also a pair of cupholders, capacious door bins and a large cubby under the centre armrest. 

Space in the back seats

Rear passengers don’t enjoy quite as much space as they would in the larger BMW iX or Mercedes EQE SUV, but there’s still plenty of room for a six-foot adult to sit behind a driver or front passenger of a similar size. Headroom is good too, and not particularly impacted by the big glass roof.

There’s no central transmission tunnel, which means that the rear centre passenger has enough room for their feet - though the middle seat base is quite narrow and firm. So three adults could quite happily sit abreast in the rear, but only for a short journey. ISOFIX points are available in the outer rear seats.

There’s also a fold-down armrest with twin cupholders, USB-C ports for gadget charging and useful sunblinds for the rear windows.

Boot space

The Audi Q6 e-tron has a 526-litre boot, which compares favourably with the 500-litre BMW iX or the 520-litre Mercedes EQE SUV. The cheaper Tesla Model Y is still the king of boot space though, with 854 litres.

The Q6's boot is a wide, unobstructed space, and the rear seats drop totally flat nice and easily. They fold in a 40:20:40 split, allowing you to carry long thin items in between two rear passengers. There’s also space underneath the floor to store the parcel shelf, which is a useful touch.

Also very handy is the addition of a 64-litre ‘frunk’ taking the space where an engine would go in a combustion car. Neither the iX nor the EQE SUV have this, and it’s a really neat space to hold charge cables, or to store dirty or muddy items away from the occupants in the main cabin.

Smart and well-built, but a little screen-heavy and some areas look difficult to use

In contrast to some electric cars where light and space is the order of the day, the Q6 e-tron feels much more typically Audi with its use of dark materials and a fairly traditional layout. That’s no bad thing, and in fact you might prefer it to the more unconventional iX or EQE SUV. 

The top of the dashboard is dominated by screens. One seamless sheet of glass covers both an 11.9-inch display for driver information and a 14.5-inch infotainment screen, though unlike some Audis of old you don’t get a rotary controller to interact with this - it’s touchscreen or voice commands only. Optionally available is a further 10.9-inch display for the front seat passenger so they can control media or view data more easily.

The interface is fairly straightforward though suffers (as the iX and EQE do) with having so many features that it’s not always obvious which menus control which functions. You’ll soon learn where the essentials are, though. Climate controls are operated through the screen, which is par for the course with cars like this nowadays - but still less user-friendly than regular buttons.

The cabin environment is quite dark, but has big enough windows that it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. Material quality is top-notch, and there are some nice design touches like a full-width strip of fabric running from door to door. Some lighter finishes would lift the environment, though.

The entry-level Q6 e-tron (at the moment) is the quattro model. It returns a claimed 381 miles per charge, with a conveniently-sized 100kWh battery making its average efficiency of 3.8 miles per kWh easy to work out. That’s more (officially) than either the BMW iX or the Mercedes EQE SUV, which average 3.5mi/kWh and 3.2mi/kWh respectively.

Audi’s new electric car platform is built with efficiency in mind, though. The electric motors weigh 20% less than they do on the older Q8 e-tron, and take up less space too. The Q6 e-tron charges at an impressive rate, too - up to 270kW from a suitably powerful charger, which is faster than the iX or the EQE SUV and means a 10-80% charge in just 21 minutes. 

The Q6 e-tron hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP just yet, but Audi’s record in this is pretty faultless - all but one of its cars tested since 2009 has scored the full five-star rating. The Q6 e-tron itself comes with tons of safety equipment - the usual autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning and pedestrian safety aids, but there are also particularly clever headlights which can highlight lane markings, or taillights that can turn into warning triangles for following traffic.

We certainly wouldn’t want to speculate about problems with the Q6 e-tron so soon after launch. However, Audi’s not known for being particularly dependable - and the brand had a real shocker in the 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, coming 27th out of 32 brands. That’s several spots behind BMW and Mercedes.

The Q6’s underpinnings are new, and there’s so much tech that there is potential for teething problems - the earlier Q8 e-tron had issues with things like its electric door mirrors, for example. However, we’ll give the Q6 e-tron the benefit of the doubt until it’s been on sale for a while.