New Audi A6 e-tron to cost from £70,000
The new Audi A6 e-tron electric car is available as a hatchback or estate and uses the same technology as the Q6 e-tron SUV but can go even farther between charges...
On sale February 2025 | Price from £69,900
Audi launched the world’s first high-performance estate in 1994 and, 30 years later, this new Audi A6 e-tron shows it thinks there’s still a place for such cars in the electric era.
Nevertheless, the £70,000 starting price for the all-electric A6 e-tron – which is available as a hatchback (called the Sportback) as well as an estate (Avant) – is a significant increase over today's petrol and diesel equivalents. It's also a little more than the entry-level cost of its key rival, the BMW i5.
So what do you get for your money? Well, even the cheapest version at launch – the 362bhp A6 e-tron Performance – lives up to its name, requiring only 5.4 seconds to get from 0-62mph. The 543bhp S6 e-tron flagship can do the sprint in 3.9 seconds.
If anything, the range from a full battery charge is even more impressive, helped by a standard heat pump (for more efficient interior heating) and improvements Audi has made to its regenerative braking system.
The S6 e-tron is officially capable of more than 388 miles in Avant estate car form and more than 405 miles if you go for the Sportback (thanks to the hatchback's better aerodynamics). The less-powerful Performance version does even better, with figures of 437 and 463 miles respectively.
For comparison, the BMW i5 Touring estate has a maximum official range of 344 miles while the i5 saloon manages 356 miles. Even the Mercedes EQE – which went further than any other electric car in our most recent range test – officially maxes out at 429 miles.
Key to the A6 e-tron’s long-leggedness is a new and more efficient 94.9kWh (usable capacity) battery, which is found in all of the launch models and has a maximum charging speed of up to 270kW.
Again, that beats the figures of the i5 (205kW) and EQE (170kW), and means a 10-80% top-up is possible in as little as 21 minutes – if you can find a fast enough public charger.
Home charging can be done at up to 11kW as standard, but a 22kW capability will be offered as an option later, as will a smaller 79kWh (usable capacity) battery.
Inside the A6 e-tron you’ll find an 11.9in digital driver's display that flows into the main 14.5in infotainment touchscreen.
A third (10.9in) screen, fitted as standard on the range-topping Edition 1 models, is positioned ahead of the front passenger to keep them entertained. Cleverly, it’s polarised so the driver can't seeing what’s displayed on it, meaning it can’t distract them.
What might be a distraction is the lack of physical controls for the infotainment (there's no rotary control like the one in the i5). That said, the A6 e-tron’s software is at least responsive and the graphics look swish. AI-based technology aims to learn the features you use most often, and when you use them, in an effort to simplify the car’s systems, and the voice control can recognise more than 800 commands.
Dramatic ambient lighting adds to the interior’s wow factor, and some high-quality materials have been used. However, despite being covered in fabric, the ledge you naturally rest your hand on when using the touchscreen is clearly made from hard and hollow plastic.
It’s also worth noting that head room is tight for six-footers in the back of the Sportback. By contrast, they’ll have plenty of space in the Avant. Our only complaint here is that the rear seats are mounted quite close to the floor, so your knees are pushed higher than they ideally would be – just as they are in the EQE.
Perhaps surprisingly, the boot of the A6 e-tron Sportback has the same 502-litre official capacity as the Avant’s, which means it's bigger than the i5 saloon’s (490 litres) and the EQE’s (430 litres). What’s more, its wide, hatchback opening makes it easier to load than its main rivals'.
Both A6 e-tron bodystyles give you versatile 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats. The Avant is still ultimately a better load-lugger because it’s squarer rear end lets you pile luggage higher (when the cover is removed) and it has a height-adjustable boot floor.
What it isn’t is more practical than the i5 Touring – mainly because that has a 570-litre boot capacity. However, the i5 does without any under-bonnet storage, whereas the A6 e-tron has an extra 27 litres here, which is just about enough for a charging cable.
In a neat touch, you don’t have to pull a release handle inside the car to get to open the front boot. As long as you have the key with you, running your hand along the nose of the car causes the bonnet to pop open.
Three A6 e-tron trims will be available at launch: Sport, S line and Edition 1. Sport models, which cost £69,900 and £71,700 for the Sportback and Avant respectively, have 20in alloy wheels, a powered tailgate, noise-reducing glass and an illuminated Audi badge. They also feature LED lights that can be upgraded to anti-dazzle matrix LEDs via an over-the-air update on a subscription basis (you can choose to stop paying and do without them).
At £3500 more than Sport models, S line versions bring sportier exterior styling, tinted glass and sports seats. Edition 1 models cost £78,400 or £80,200 and come with 21in alloys, a black styling pack and functions to change the patterns in the front lights.
At £97,500 or £99,300, the S6 e-tron is only available in Edition 1 guise, and has adaptive air suspension, soft-close doors, massaging and ventilated sports seats and speakers for the Bang & Olufsen audio system embedded in the headrests.
Additionally, S6 models have a panoramic glass roof that can turn opaque at the touch of a button fitted as standard. Also on the kit list is the same impressively clear head-up display as found in the Audi Q6 e-tron.
In addition to the standard trims, two option packs are available. The £2895 Sound & Vision pack bundles the head-up display, ambient lighting, Microsoft Office integration and a Bang & Olufsen audio upgrade. It costs £3195 for S line and Edition 1 models where it also includes headrest-mounted speakers.
The £5495 Sound & Vision Pack Pro combines a panoramic glass roof, and replaces the door mirrors with cameras.
The A6 e-tron will be sold alongside the conventionally powered Audi A6 until that model is replaced by an all-new Audi A7 in 2025.
The Audi A5 e-tron's main rivals
BMW i5/i5 Touring
Class-leading infotainment and beats the A6 e-tron on space but its range is nowhere near as good
Mercedes EQE
A comfortable and refined choice. However, interior quality is patchy and there’s no estate version
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
