Audi A6 e-tron review

It’s the new, all-electric Audi A6 e-tron, and it’s more slippery than a Mario Kart banana skin. No, seriously. This thing has a drag coefficient of 0.21Cd if you spec the Sportback version with the fancy cameras replacing standard wing mirrors.

Wait, you mentioned the Sportback. Is there another version I can have?

An estate! Well, this is Audi so it’s called an Avant, but hurrah! The MG 5 and Vauxhall Astra Electric Sports Tourer finally have some competition. We jest of course, but big-booted EVs are still in short supply. BMW beat Audi to the punch with the i5 Touring, but to our eyes at least the Audi is the better-looking executive German wagon.

The A6 e-tron’s final design is actually fairly similar to the original concept unveiled back in 2022. It’s aerodynamic without looking like it’s trying too hard (cough, Mercedes EQE, cough). You get a flush, bodycolour grille up front with lots of little Movember-style moustache motifs, and that’s surrounded by what Audi refers to as a ‘black mask’ designed to hide the larger main beam headlights, the front sensors and the inlets for the ‘air curtain’ that guides airflow around the car in the most efficient manner possible.

The flush door handles and closed, flat floor both help with the aero obsession and there are active inlet shutters in the front grille that apparently allow for up to 7.4 miles more range. The fancy camera mirrors (which now fold when the car is locked after many requests from original e-tron SUV buyers) could also get you 7.4 miles further down the road. Want more A6 e-tron aero chat? You can watch TG stick one in a wind tunnel by clicking these blue words.

There are eight different light signatures to choose from for those daytime running lights, and the black section on the doors with its e-tron branding is designed to show that the battery – now the heart of the car – lives under the floor. The overhangs are fairly short and the wheelbase is almost three metres. The rear lights can now be used to display warning messages to pesky tailgaters (yep, we see the irony there), Audi’s logo lights up at the rear and there’s the option of a switchable transparency panoramic roof.

What else do I need to know?

Well, the A6 e-tron is based on the PPE platform that was jointly developed with Porsche and also underpins the Q6 e-tron and the Macan EV. That means you get an 800V architecture for 270kW DC rapid charging and motors that are 30 per cent smaller and 20 per cent lighter than in previous all-electric Audis.

There’s also a choice of two battery sizes – 75.8kWh for the entry-level A6 e-tron and 94.9kWh for the ‘Performance’ and ‘Quattro’ versions. You might see Audi refer to those as 83kWh and 100kWh packs, but those are gross figures whereas we like to quote the actual useable capacity.

In terms of range, you’ll be able to eke out a little more from the coupe-like Sportback because of its extra slipperiness. The Avant can only manage a drag coefficient of 0.24, although that’s still mightily impressive. The base A6 e-tron gets a single motor with 322bhp and claims 383 miles of WLTP range for the Sportback and 361 miles for the Avant.

Strangely the A6 e-tron Performance isn’t actually the most powerful – think of it as the long-range version with a single motor powering the rear wheels with 375bhp and the larger battery providing 463 miles of range to the Sportback and 437 miles to the Avant.

The A6 e-tron Quattro is the next step up, with twin motors, all-wheel drive and the 94.9kWh battery for 456bhp and 438/417 miles of range depending on body style. There is also a 543bhp S6 e-tron, but given that’ll do 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds it’s probably worthy of its own review.

Hit me with some more performance figures…

The standard A6 e-tron will do 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds flat and tops out at 130mph. Because of the smaller battery it can only rapid charge at up to 225kW. The Performance drops the 0-62mph time to 5.4 seconds, while the twin-motor Quattro will do the same sprint in 4.5 seconds. All get the same 130mph top speed.

I need a refresh on Audi’s current naming conventions…

Of course you do. Heck, even we’re struggling to understand what’s going on at the moment. Back in July 2024 Audi unveiled the new A5 saloon and Avant – basically a refresh of the old A4 but renamed because odd numbers now denote combustion engines while even numbers will be EVs. Well, except in the case of the Q8 and Q8 e-tron. Don’t ask us why. Oh, and just to make it that little bit more confusing, the current petrol-powered A6 is still on sale, but that’ll soon be updated and called the A7. 

How big is the A6 e-tron Avant’s boot?

A great question. The Avant’s boot will swallow 502 litres of stuff with all five seats in place. That’s slightly less space than you get in the BMW i5 Touring and (weirdly) exactly the same as the Sportback. Better shape though, and if you fold the rear row flat it’s upped to 1,422 litres of luggage space in the Avant vs 1,330 litres in the Sportback. Worth mentioning that there’s also a 27-litre frunk storage space for cables and other mucky bits.

How much does it cost?

Prices start at £62,500 in the UK for the A6 e-tron Sportback and £64,300 for the Avant in base spec Sport trim. You’ve got three different trim levels (Sport, S Line and Edition 1) plus the three different motor/battery combos (no name, Performance and Quattro) with prices topping out at £83,500 for the A6 e-tron quattro Edition 1 in Sportback form and £85,300 for the same car as an Avant.

Anything else I need to know?

In the UK, Audi reckons 57 per cent of people will go for the Sportback and 43 per cent for the Avant. Wagons are a lot more niche in North America though, so the Avant won’t be offered in the USA or Canada. Sorry folks. In China there will be a locally produced, long-wheelbase A6 L e-tron.

We’re still yet to fully experience the A6 e-tron in its proper UK spec or with its variety of powertrains, but first impressions are really very good. This is a handsome saloon or estate that doesn’t try too hard to be an aero car and yet still slips through its surroundings to claim impressive range and efficiency figures. It’s refined and drives much like the big Audi saloons you’re used to.

The interior is perhaps a tad complex and the rear seats maybe a little short on space for an executive car, but it feels premium in there. Lower trim levels may actually be easier to live with though thanks to fewer screens and their standard glass mirrors.