Audi Q8 Review & Prices

The Audi Q8 is a seriously muscular-looking SUV. Sleek, too, at least by the standards of big SUVs. Park one of these next to a BMW X6 or Mercedes GLE Coupe and it’s the Audi that looks lower, broader, and meaner. It’s like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine poured into a snug-fitting suit with a sharp tie.

That styling is set off by the massive grille, the slim headlights with their piercing Matrix LED bulbs, and alloy wheels which come as standard in 21-inch diameter. Pick a Q8 with a ‘Black’ styling package that erases all of the shiny exterior chrome and you’ve got a spectacularly mean-looking SUV.

Although it sits lower than the Q7 with which it shares a chassis and some mechanical bits, the Q8’s cabin is actually pretty spacious, and only the very tall — like Peter Crouch or Stephen Merchant — will find that headroom is tight. Certainly, four big adults can get very comfy. However, for all the space there’s no seven-seat option; that’s reserved for the larger, taller, but cheaper Q7.

The Q8 has been on sale for a while now, and hence the interior is starting to look a little old. Instead of the newer and cooler sweep of digital instruments and screens that you get with the likes of the A5, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron, the Q8 sticks with the older double-decker touchscreen setup in the centre of the dash. It’s a decent way to do it, as it means that the air conditioning controls get their own screen, but it still ends up being more fiddly than is ideal, and both screens can take more than one stab with your finger to select the function you want.

Build quality is excellent, and there are lots of chrome and glossy-black surfaces, but there’s also an inescapable feeling that the cabin is on the dark side, like a trendy bar with no soft furnishings.

With a 605-litre boot (a bit less for the TFSIe plug-in hybrid model) the Q8 isn’t lacking for practicality. Sure, the Q7 and some other alternatives have more space again, but it’s pretty hard to imagine anyone staring at the Q8’s load space and reckoning that it’s not quite sufficient. The back seats fold down in 40:20:40 formation, which opens up 1,755 litres of space.

If mountain biking is your thing, then helpfully the Q8 comes with quattro four-wheel drive as standard on all models, which will get you wherever you want to take your bike. It will cope pretty well with wet and muddy surfaces too (the limiting factor will be how sporty the tyres are) but the Q8’s preferred home is on the motorway where its combination of refinement and performance takes some beating.

The 3.0-litre diesel engine might seem a bit old-school these days, but it’s still a terrific all-round choice, with plenty of performance and decent fuel economy for something this big. The TFSIe plug-in hybrid version has plenty of power too, and it can go for a claimed 51 miles on battery power alone, but on longer journeys it will get quite thirsty once the battery is drained, albeit it’s not as bad in this respect as some others.

There’s a mild hybrid petrol with 340hp too, but that’s an option only for those with shares in Shell. If you want more poke, you’ll have to trade up to the powerful SQ8 or the insanely powerful RS Q8.

All versions come as standard with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and there’s standard adaptive air suspension too, which does an amazing job of keeping that big body nice and level when you’re cornering hard. There’s also optional four-wheel steering which makes the Q8 feel considerably more nimble around town.

Alas, many of the driver assistance systems are on the options list, and you’ll have to pay quite a bit extra for the ‘Tour Pack’ if you want adaptive cruise control and parking assistance.

Although it’s ageing now, the Q8 is still a great looking SUV, and it’s poised and enjoyable on the open road — although it’s pretty bulky around town. Typical Audi quality means that it feels built to last, and although you can’t have it with seven seats, it’s still hugely practical for family life or open-air hobbies.

To get the best price check out Carwow’s Audi Q8 deals, or browse our stock of used Q8s from our network of trusted dealers. We’ve also got a great selection of other used Audis on offer, and you can sell your current car online with Carwow too.

The Q8 is considerably more expensive than a BMW X5, but it’s just a fraction cheaper than the BMW X6, the model with which it most closely competes. A Mercedes GLE Coupe is also pricier than the Q8, although not by very much in the grand scheme of things. All three have long and ruinous options lists, but don’t forget the Lexus RX — in styling terms, it’s the anthesis of the Audi’s aggressive, overtly-sporty look, but it’s also considerably more affordable, good to drive, and comes in frugal hybrid or plug-in hybrid forms. Standard equipment for the Q8 includes 21-inch alloy wheels, adaptive air suspension, Matrix LED headlights, and heated front sports seats.

The Audi Q8 is comfortable and enjoyable to drive, but the gearbox could be more responsive and it’s bulky around town

In town

The driving position in the Q8 is definitely more SUV than coupé – you sit a little lower than in a Range Rover, but still look down on most cars. All-round visibility is good, which helps you guide this huge car through narrow urban streets.

Despite its size, the Q8 is quite manoeuvrable around town, especially if you choose a version with rear-wheel steering — currently standard only on the top-spec Vorsprung model. This turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speeds, giving the Q8 a similar turning circle to Audi’s A3 hatchback. It’s a big plus while parking, or if you need to make a three-point turn. Light steering helps too – you can twirl the wheel with your fingertips.

Every Q8 rides on huge alloys which logic suggests would make for a bumpy low-speed ride. But the standard air suspension does a great job of smoothing out the worst lumps in the road.

Even the least powerful Q8 is a very quick car, so it will leap into any gap in traffic, but if your driving life is spent mostly in town, then it’s well worth considering the plug-in hybrid TFSIe version of the Q8, which can go for a claimed 51 miles on electric power on a full charge. Want more zero-emission running than that? It might be worth considering the all-electric Audi Q8 e-tron.

On the motorway

Big miles are a pleasure in the Q8. Whichever engine you pick, you’ll quickly pass dawdling traffic, while the air suspension keeps things controlled but comfortable. The Audi feels super-stable at speed.

The Q8 is available with clever driver aids that make motorway journeys really relaxing, although annoyingly many of these are still on the options list. You get adaptive cruise control as standard in a Toyota Corolla these days, but you have to pay extra for it in the Q8. You need to pay attention to make sure the systems are working properly, but letting the car steer, slow down, and accelerate for you makes life that little bit less stressful.

There’s not much in the way of noise in the cabin at 70mph, and the gearbox swaps ratios smoothly. So to sum up, if you want to cover a lot of miles at pace in peace and comfort, the Q8 is a near-ideal tool for the job, and the 3.0 V6 TDI is the best engine option for this task.

On a twisty road

Audi’s chassis engineers haven’t found a loophole in the laws of physics, but they have worked hard to disguise the Q8’s size and weight on twisty roads. It really is fun.

The suspension set up is slightly sportier than the closely related Q7’s, so it stays flatter and feels more poised when cornering hard. Both the 50 TDI diesel and the 55 TFSI petrol sprint between the corners, although the gearbox can be slow to grab a lower ratio.

For even more potent performance, the SQ8 has 507hp and a 0-62mph time of 4.1 seconds. In the unlikely event that’s still too tardy for you, the RS Q8 ups the ante with 600hp and a 0-62mph sprint of 3.8 seconds.

Every Q8 from the most to the least powerful has four-wheel drive to help put all that power down even when the road is slippery.

There's plenty of space for five people and their bags, but there's no third row of seats like you get in the Q7

There’s lots of room in the front of the Q8. Stretch a basketball player on a rack, and they’ll still have enough head and legroom.

The driving position isn’t quite as armchair-like as a Range Rover’s, but you still sit up nice and high with plenty of support under your thighs. The front seats adjust every which way, so drivers of most shapes and sizes should be comfortable, and the steering wheel also moves over a wide range, both up and down and in and out.

The standard seats are supportive without being too narrow. The high-performance Q8 models have more heavily bolstered seats which grip you more firmly when cornering but may be a little pinchy depending on the driver’s build.

Audi hasn’t skimped on storage space. The glovebox is a healthy size, and the door bins are absolutely huge. A large bottle of water will fit with room to spare. There’s more room under the arm rest, and a small fold-down compartment in the dash with room for a phone – although you can guarantee you’ll forget whatever you put in there as it’s tucked out of sight.

If the Q8’s performance isn’t enough to wake you up each morning, there are twin cupholders beside the gearlever for a large coffee.

Space in the back seats

The most obvious compromise in choosing a Q8 over a Q7 is the loss of the third row of seats. So whereas Audi’s more practical luxury SUV has room for seven, the Q8 is a five-seater.

You might think that the coupé-like sloping roofline would mean headroom also suffers, but there’s actually plenty of space. Legroom is very generous, so rear-seat passengers can stretch out and relax.

There’s a hump in the floor for the transmission which gets in the way a bit if travelling with three in the back, but there’s so much foot room under the front seats that it’s not a big issue.

If the middle seat is empty, passengers can fold down an armrest with a pair of cupholders. Big door bins take care of bottles and snacks, and there are map pockets on the backs of the front seats.

Boot space

Okay, the Q8 isn’t as practical as the Q7, but this is still a very big SUV with a very large boot. You won’t need to travel light with a 605-litre capacity. That compares with 580 litres on a BMW X6 but 655 litres for the Mercedes GLE Coupe. Just remember that the TFSIe plug-in hybrid version loses 100 litres of boot space.

The slope of the rear window means tall items won’t necessarily fit by the tailgate, even with the parcel shelf removed. And while we’re moaning, if you do take the luggage cover out there’s nowhere to store it. One final gripe – there’s no remote release for the seat backs, so you’ll need to walk around to the rear doors to extend the space by dropping the seats.

But really, you’ll need to go some to fill this boot, and there are useful touches like lashing hooks and a 12-volt socket.

The cabin is lovely for look and feel, although it’s a shame the climate controls are touchscreen rather than physical buttons

Cars like the Q8 sell on looks and style as much as how they drive and how practical they are. It would be a big letdown if the Q8 wasn’t as handsome on the inside as the outside.

There’s no worry on that score – the Q8’s cabin is a real looker, with quality to back up the style.

Buttons have been kept to a minimum, which means relying on touchscreen menus. This can be a pain if all you want to do is turn up the air con, and you need to wade through a menu to find the controls.

Audi has dodged this bullet by having two touchscreens, one stacked above the other. The bottom one takes care of the climate control and heating, so the controls are always there when you need them. The top one looks after all the other stuff you expect the infotainment system to handle, like satellite navigation, the stereo, and the telephone.

The screens work really well when you’re parked up, and look amazing thanks to their crisp resolution and punchy colours. Things aren’t quite so simple when you are moving, as it’s harder to hit a screen than feel for a physical button.

The ‘buttons’ on the displays do click and vibrate when you press them, though, so you know you haven’t tapped a blank space by mistake, but it’s not immediately intuitive.

There’s a third screen ahead of the driver for your digital instruments. You can configure this display to your heart’s content – being able to put a map right in front of you while driving to an unfamiliar destination is especially useful.

It’s the tech that you notice when you first sit in the car, but the quality makes a lasting impression. There’s nothing loose-fitting or cheap looking, with soft-touch plastics and luxurious leather throughout. The premium finish runs deep, as it should at this price point, but you could accuse the Q8’s cabin of being a bit too dark and black at times.

Diesel sales have dropped off dramatically in the past few years, but diesel power still makes some sense for anyone shopping for a big SUV.

The 3.0-litre diesel (badged 50 TDI) is the smart choice for a Q8 buyer, especially someone who covers a lot of miles. It will return up to 34mpg in official tests with carbon dioxide emissions measured at 217-223g/km.

If you are set on petrol power, there’s another 3.0-litre engine, which is called 55 TFSI. There’s not a huge amount between the two in performance, but the petrol is a lot thirstier, achieving up to 26.6mpg. The car emits 240-248g/km CO2.

In terms of fuel bills and running costs, an electric SUV will be much cheaper than a petrol or diesel Q8. So, if a big Audi appeals but the emissions are offputting, consider the Q8 e-tron instead.

There’s a middle-ground, of course, which is the TFSIe plug-in hybrid model, which has 369hp, a 51-mile electric range, and should get around 35mpg fuel economy on long runs. Official CO2 emissions are just 28g/km.

The Audi Q8 has an excellent safety rating from the experts at Euro NCAP. It scored the maximum five stars, with a score of 93% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection, 71% for pedestrian protection and 73% for its safety assistance features. That means the Q8 is among the safest large SUVs you can buy.

It comes with all the airbags and stability systems you’d expect, and can be specified with driver aids to keep the car in lane and sensors to slow the car down if the vehicle ahead slows.

Some say German cars are reliable, but that’s not always backed up by reliability and customer satisfaction surveys. Audi doesn’t fare as well as you might hope, although in fairness some models are more reliable than others.

The Q8 doesn’t appear in many of these studies due to its relatively small numbers, but the closely related Q7 does. Despite being a hugely complex car it doesn’t go wrong all that often, which bodes well for the Q8. However, Audi performed poorly in the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, finishing in 27th place out of 32 brands, with 21.3% of owners reporting problems with their car.

Audi provides a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is the minimum you’d expect. Plenty of other brands offer longer cover, although at least the TFSIe plug-in hybrid gets a separate eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for its battery.