Audi R8 Review & Prices

The Audi R8 is a sharply styled supercar with one of the most iconic engines of all time - the 5.2-litre V10 nestled just behind your head. However, despite its aggressive looks and massive power output, this is a supercar that’s comfortable and refined enough to use every day – assuming you don’t need to fit a child seat or a family of four’s bags on a weekend away, of course.

Sadly, March 2024 marked the end of Audi R8 production. Any replacement is likely to be all-electric, so this version of the supercar is a bit like reading a Valentine’s card from your high school crush, because its engine is a love letter to the good old days.

There are plenty of supercars you could consider alongside it, such as the Lamborghini Huracan to which it is mechanically related, as well as the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, Mercedes-AMG GT and Ferrari 296 GTB.

The Audi R8’s styling has become more and more aggressive over the years, but while its design is undeniably handsome and purposeful, it does lack some of the drama of alternatives, particularly the Lamborghini Huracan.

Watch: Audi R8 generations drag race

You can say the same about the cabin, which is fairly simple in appearance but is built from high-quality materials that feel worthy of the high price tag. Everything falls quickly and intuitively to hand, such as the nifty climate control dials, which is useful when you’re enjoying your favourite B-road and want to quickly tweak something.

There’s no central infotainment display, so most features are displayed and controlled through the large digital instrument screen behind the steering wheel. Again, it’s easy to use and the graphics are sharp.

It’s no SUV, but the R8 is more spacious inside than you might expect of a low-slung sports car. There’s plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel and seats to get a comfortable driving position, and the low dashboard means you have a great view of the road ahead despite feeling like your bottom is mere inches from the road.

Being a two-seater performance car, the Audi R8 isn’t exactly practical – there’s room for a couple of holdalls under the bonnet and a little space behind the seats – but if you don’t need loads of seats and storage it could work as your everyday car with little in the way of compromise.

Sure, it jiggles about over bumps more than your average commuter car, but the suspension is so well set up that you’re rarely worried by road imperfections rattling through the cabin. Rear visibility isn’t great – there’s a big engine blocking most of the view out of the back, for example – but the great view ahead makes it less intimidating to drive in town or on the motorway than you might expect.

Still, it’s a twisty road where the Audi R8 feels most at home. Pop the car into its sportiest setting and use the paddle shifters to manually change gear and it’s one of the great driving cars. Let the engine ring out towards the red line and the V10 engine positively sings, encouraging you to enjoy its abilities at every opportunity. With 620hp in the all-wheel drive Performance version (and 570hp in the RWD), acceleration is rather brisk to say the least, and there’s a convertible R8 Spyder if you want even closer access to the engine sound.

Because the suspension deals with bumps so well, the R8 rarely feels unnervingly unsettled on a bumpy B-road. While alternatives feel a bit sharper in their steering and better-suited to track driving, the Audi’s compromise to comfort and everyday usability means you feel like you can use more of its abilities more of the time.

All-wheel drive variants are the best option if you’re using the car for regular driving duties, because it means you get the confidence to enjoy the car even in terrible weather, but the rear-wheel drive versions are perfect if you want an R8 that can let out its inner hooligan.

Interested? Check out the latest Audi R8 deals on Carwow, or browse used R8s from our network of trusted dealers. You can also browse other used Audis, and when it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

Unsurprisingly for a supercar with such a special engine, the Audi R8 is incredibly expensive, costing comfortably over six figures, though it is more affordable than the Mercedes-AMG GT, Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari 296 GTB. A Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is a similar price but comes with less power.

There’s loads of equipment for your cash, though, such as seats upholstered in Nappa leather with diamond stitching, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, and carbon finishes for the exterior.

Fantastic fun on a twisty road and surprisingly friendly around town, but the Audi R8 lacks some modern driver aids

In town

Most people don’t buy a supercar for driving around town, but if you plan to show off your Audi R8 circling local city streets, it’s good to know this sensible supercar can handle built-up areas surprisingly well.

The car’s Drive Select is a big help. Switch it into its Comfort setting and it lightens the steering, dulls the throttle response and tones down the exhaust note. The resulting light steering makes it easy to thread through traffic, the throttle isn’t jerky and you won’t be setting car alarms off with the scream of the charismatic V10 nestled in the engine bay behind you.

Okay, so having the engine at the back isn’t great for rearward visibility but it’s not a major issue when you’re parking because the R8 has a reversing camera that beams a detailed picture onto the digital display behind the steering wheel. Parking sensors are also fitted front and rear, but the former isn’t needed because the R8's huge windscreen and low dashboard mean you get a great view forward.

On the motorway

The R8 also feels completely at home on the motorway. Alright, so its engine is a little noisier than in some alternatives and it doesn’t have the lazy power delivery of turbocharged cars like the Porsche 911 and Mercedes AMG GT, but then it sounds better and is just as quick if you keep the throttle pinned.

One place the R8 shows its age is in its driving aids, which don’t stretch much further than basic cruise control in an age where even some mainstream cars offer semi-autonomous features on the motorway.

On a twisty road

Unsurprisingly, the Audi R8 shines its brightest on twisty roads. Driving the R8 is a real sensory experience. Its V10 engine screams in a way the turbocharged Porsche 911 and Mercedes-AMG GT can’t match and its gear shifts are lightning quick. Keep all the driving assistance kit on and the R8 is completely benign but you can loosen them in stages to let the car slide in corners or turn them off entirely for arching burnouts.

The security offered by the all-wheel drive system means you always have confidence to enjoy a twisty road, even in bad weather, but if you want a rear-wheel drive R8, you can have one. It’s called, fittingly, ‘RWD’ and it delivers a more natural driving experience than the standard four-wheel drive car thanks to a handling balance that requires more driving skill to master.

The Audi R8 is pretty spacious and comfortable for a supercar, though you’ll have to buy a Porsche 911 if you need back seats

One of the Audi R8’s biggest selling points is how user-friendly it is for a supercar.

Sure, it’s low to the ground, but its big doors give decent access and you don’t have to clamber over a huge sill as you do in some cars like this. The standard sport seats are fully electrically adjustable so it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position.

In terms of interior storage, the door pockets are too slim for a bottle and the tray in front of the gear stick is too small for a big smartphone, but you do get a large glovebox, two USB sockets and a 12V socket – pretty good for a supercar.

What’s not so good are the cupholders hidden under the front centre console. They’re too big to grip energy drinks, while large bottles clatter your elbow when driving.

Space in the back seats

The Audi R8 doesn’t have back seats, which leaves it at a disadvantage compared to a Porsche 911, which has room in the back for young kids. The Mercedes-AMG GT has rear seats too, but they’re fairly pointless.

The area behind the Audi’s front seats isn’t completely useless, you still get a shelf that’s a handy place to wedge soft bags that you couldn’t quite fit in the boot and there’s a net pocket on the bulkhead for smaller items.

Boot space

The Audi R8 is mid-engined so its luggage space is under its bonnet like in a Porsche 911. The Audi’s boot is slightly less practical, however, with a 112-litre capacity – less than half what you get in a small car like the Citroen e-C3 – versus the Porsche’s 132 litres. The Audi’s boot isn’t as deep as the Porsche’s and its funny shape makes it difficult to make use of the space it does have.

The Audi R8’s cabin feels lovely and has decent levels of tech, but smartphone mirroring is a little clunky in the instrument screen

The quality of the Audi R8’s interior feels exemplary with expensive plastics and a beautiful construction – it feels very well screwed together like it will be rattle-free 10 years down the line.

And it still looks fresh. You get neat features like ventilation knobs with built-in displays, and Audi’s trademark Virtual Cockpit behind the steering wheel means there’s no need for a centre display.

The R8 gets sporty features like carbon-fibre (all-wheel drive) or aluminium-look plastic (RWD) trims, stainless-steel pedals, and an Alcantara roof lining.

As ever, Audi’s Virtual Cockpit display shows style doesn’t need to come at the expense of function – it looks great, plus its multiple layouts and ability to punch up a huge sat nav map behind the steering wheel are very handy. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also fitted so you can use your phone’s apps on the car’s main screen, but it’s a bit more fiddly than the typical touchscreen system.

On earlier models, basic versions of the Audi R8 had a five-speaker stereo that’s okay, but the Bang & Olufsen system fitted to Edition models is a lot more like it. It has 13 speakers and a 550W output that has no difficulty filling the cabin with a tsunami of sound, plus its backlit ‘Bang & Olufsen’ emblems are a classy touch.

All Audi R8s come with a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox and a 5.2-litre V10 engine that sounds like it belongs in an F1 racer from the 2000s, not a road car that’s currently on sale.

How much power you get depends on the model you go for. The V10 Performance RWD has 570hp, gets from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and keeps going until it hits a top speed of 204mph.

Rather have the security of four-wheel drive? Then you’ll want the 620hp V10 Performance quattro; its extra traction means it accelerates faster than the RWD – it does 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds dead and hits 205mph flat out.

Running costs are almost identical to the rear-wheel drive model, with 20mpg possible if you’re being careful, and single-digit figures if you’re not. At least you can upgrade to a slightly bigger fuel tank for free.

With high emissions, vehicle excise duty is pricey, with the Audi R8 falling into the highest tax band, and facing the extra surcharge in years two to six for cars that cost more than £40,000.

The Audi R8 doesn’t sell in the numbers needed to warrant Euro NCAP safety testing and it does without features that are commonplace on average family cars such as adaptive cruise control. You do get traction control and a plethora of airbags, mind.

That being said, you’d expect the R8’s super-stiff construction to hold up well in a collision while its huge levels of grip and powerful brakes will reduce the chance of it being involved in an accident in the first place.

As you’d expect, the R8 comes fitted with a car alarm and is pre-wired to accept a tracker that’ll lead the police to its location if it’s nicked.

Data on the Audi R8’s reliability is scarce but as it uses proven Audi parts and a V10 engine that has been updated and improved since 2003, you can expect it to be durable for a supercar. You can also extend the standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty to a five-year/90,000-mile cover.