Used Audi A8 2017-present review

Venture anywhere near central London and you’ll notice the sudden proliferation of large, black luxury limousines – of the sort regularly used by the rich and famous to ferry back and forth between important meetings and swanky gala dinners. Among these, if you keep track for a while, you’ll spot that the Audi A8 is one of the most popular.

Now in its fourth generation, the A8 is probably the most discreet among its luxury limo rivals – that is to say, the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Jaguar XJ. But don’t mistake discretion for indifference; beneath the skin, this A8 is a true techno-fest, with a host of advancements that maintain the model’s reputation for groundbreaking technology.

Engines & Performance: There’s a choice between a 282bhp 3.0-litre diesel (confusingly badged ‘50 TDI’) and a 335bhp 3.0-litre petrol (equally bizarrely badged ‘55 TFSI’), both turbocharged. All of these engines have mild-hybrid technology that provides a boost from an electric motor, and all can cut out completely while you’re coasting, leaving the car running on pure electric power for up to 40 seconds at a time.

If you do want a full hybrid, then a plug-in one was added to the range in the form of the 443bhp 60 TFSIe and has an electric range of 28 miles. Or, if you care little about fuel-saving, there's always the 563bhp 4.0-litre V8 in the hot S8 available from 2020 onwards.

Ride & Handling: Granted, the A8 doesn’t have the precision of a Mercedes S-Class when it’s hustled along a back road quickly, but few – if any – A8 owners are ever going to drive their cars in this way. No, these cars are all about relaxation – and driving an A8 is about as relaxing as driving gets.

The air suspension wafts you over bumps seamlessly, while engine noise is all but absent – and disappears altogether when you coast and it shuts off to run on electric power alone. There’s a faint whisper of wind noise and perhaps a background hum of road noise but, other than that, all is silent inside the A8.

Interior & Practicality: Inside, the A8 is a marvellous place to be. It can’t quite match the glitz of the Mercedes S-Class, but the A8’s more understated furnishings are nevertheless deeply appealing, with slivers of open-pore wood, top-quality materials, and glossy touchscreens and touch switches everywhere.

That latter point is a bugbear in use, mind you, for while these touch-sensitive controls look snazzy, they’re a pain to use, as you can’t work out where they are by feel alone – meaning you have to take your eyes off the road to do so. What’s more, a few greasy finger marks render them grubby.

A key component of a luxury car is space, and in this regard, the A8 delivers in spades. In fact, it’s questionable whether you’d really need the extra room of the long-wheelbase model, so spacious is the rear of the standard car. Up front, all’s well too, with lots of useful cubbies and big, deep door pockets, while the boot is one of the biggest in its class, with almost as much volume as some small estate cars. However, if you do go for the plug-in hybrid 60 TFSI e, the additional batteries eat into the available boot capacity to make it less capacious than that of the much smaller Audi A4.

Trims & Equipment: As far as the model range goes, there were initially just two versions to pick from: the entry-level A8 (that had no additional badging) or the sportier S Line. As you’d expect, the basic car is very well equipped, with climate control, heated electric seats, leather upholstery, sat-nav, LED headlights and air suspension all coming as standard, among other features. S Line then adds larger wheels, adaptive high-beam headlights, LED rear lights, sports seats and privacy glass.

You can also opt for your A8 in long-wheelbase ‘L’ form, in which case you also get heated rear seats, a tablet-style remote control for the infotainment system, four-zone climate control and electric rear sunblinds.

Later A8s adopted a Sport, S Line, Black Edition and Vorsprung line-up, which echoed the earlier trims, with the latter Black Edition additional styling tweaks, and the Vorsprung adding all sorts of goodies you might want including 21in alloys, front seat cooling, all-wheel steering and, the best bit, integrated washer jets in the windscreen wipers.

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Prices for the A8 start at around £22,000 for a late 2017 or early 2018 example with an average mileage for the year and a full service history. Long-wheelbase 'L' models are rarer and command a premium, so expect to spend around £35,000 or more to get into one.

Budget for at least £27,000 if you fancy a 2020 model, rising to £40,000 for a 2022 one. Nearly new examples go for upwards of £59,000.

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MPG: According to its official fuel economy figures, the A8 isn’t as cheap as you might think to run. Diesel versions are a couple of MPG behind rivals like the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series, although they beat the Jaguar XJ. The same goes for the petrol version, which doesn’t compare all that well with the equivalent S-Class.

Latest combined WLTP figure is 29.7mpg for the 55 TFSI petrol and 40.9mpg for the 50 TDI diesel, although these can vary depending on wheelbase and trim. The plug-in hybrid 60 TFSI e has a fantastic on-paper figure of 113mpg, but that will rely on you charging it up regularly (2.5 hours from a 7.4kW charger or 6.5 hours on a standard three-pin plug). Still, at least that will be much better than the 24.6mpg of the S8.

Road tax: Fortunately, all A8s were registered under the new flat-rate tax system so their slightly substandard fuel economy doesn’t have an effect on their tax costs. All A8s will be charged a flat rate fee (the plug-in hybrid 60 TFSI e will get a slight discount), plus a supplementary luxury car tax that is charged for five years between the second year and sixth years of the vehicle's age, then it goes back to the flat rate fee.

Current fees are £180 per year for the plug-in hybrid, £190 per year for the others, and £415 per year for the luxury car tax. To find out more about the current road tax costs, click here for further information.

Servicing: Servicing costs, meanwhile, will be cheaper than it is for a Mercedes S-Class; however, once your A8 hits three years old, it’ll benefit from Audi’s fixed-price servicing scheme, which should keep service costs down even further at the main dealer.

Engine: Diesel versions will be by far and away the most popular, and the thirst of the petrol models makes them difficult to recommend. So we’d go for the 50 TDI, especially since the plug-in hybrid requires you to have somewhere to regularly charge it for it to make financial sense.

Specification: The entry-level version or later Sport is so well equipped, it seems mad to spend extra on an S Line, Black Edition or Vorsprung. Unless, of course, you really want to have washer jets integrated into your wiper blades...

Our favourite Audi A8: 50 3.0 TDI in standard form (or later Sport)

It might be getting on a bit now but the Mercedes S-Class is still one of the best luxury cars of this size. Its interior feels more special than the Audi’s and it drives with a little more verve, though it can’t quite match the splendid isolation the A8 offers.

If you want a car that handles well, though, you should try the Jaguar XJ. It’s the sharpest of these large luxury limos, and it’s also the cheapest to buy – but there are compromises, and they come in the form of a cramped interior that feels more cheaply made than the best, and poor fuel economy.

The BMW 7 Series is worth a look as a value option too – prices are generally lower than they are for the A8 and S-Class, and while it’s not as good as the best, the 7 Series is still an extremely comfortable luxury car. It’s certainly worth a look if you want to get more for your money.

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Interested in buying a used Audi A8? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.