Audi A6 e-tron Sportback (2024 - ) Electric review

One of the big selling points of an electric car is the low running costs, and the A6 Sportback e-tron is no exception. There is a choice of battery sizes, but most people will go for the larger of the two, which offers more than 400 miles of official range, and about 300 miles in the real world. And it’ll charge quickly, assuming you can find a high-powered charger capable of delivering on that promise of going from 10 to 80 per cent in around 20 minutes. But for those who want to keep costs in check charging at home will be the cheapest option. Take advantage of off-peak electricity costs, and you can top up the A6 Sportback e-tron’s battery overnight for a fraction the cost of filling an equivalent petrol- or diesel-powered saloon. And if you’re getting one as a company car, the tax is currently so low that you’ll barely notice the money leaving your account.

Audi has quite a solid reputation for quality and reliability, but the surveys suggest the brand is not what it once was. Audi has finished in the bottom half of a few reliability studies in recent years, lagging behind fellow German manufacturers, as well as premium rivals from elsewhere in the world. However, electric motors are – in theory, at least – more reliable than petrol and diesel engines, and Audi offers the A6 Sportback e-tron with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty.

The A6 Sportback e-tron has not yet been crash-tested by independent safety body Euro NCAP but we have every reason to believe it will perform admirably. Not only have most of Audi’s recent products put up a good showing in the crash tests, but Audi has packed the A6 e-tron with safety technology. Parking sensors, a reversing camera and cruise control are all fitted as standard, along with lane departure warning and autonomous emergency braking, which can stop the car automatically if the driver doesn’t react to a hazard. There is also the legally mandated speed limit warning system, although that isn’t always accurate and can often be irritating as a result. It can at least be switched off relatively easily.

The A6 Sportback e-tron has a much more high-tech cabin than its predecessor, but retains a similar level of comfort, space and solidity. Quality materials are well stitched together, and though some of the steering wheel buttons are a bit fiddly, the A6 e-tron is generally pretty user-friendly. The seats aren’t that brilliant, but the driving position is good, and the suspension is fairly supple. There’s loads of room for those in the front, but rear-seat passengers will find headroom a bit tight in the back of the fastback-shaped Sportback models. The Avant estates, however, have a bit more space, and boot capacity is roughly on a par with that of the Audi’s main rivals.

Audi has gone all-out on the technology front with the A6 Sportback e-tron. The narrow lights at the front and the light bar at the back can be customised with eight different designs, while the rear lights can ‘communicate’ with other road users through little pictograms, such as a warning triangle when the hazard lights are on. Audi is also offering digital door mirrors, which use cameras instead of normal mirrors to reduce aerodynamic drag in the name of increased efficiency. They don’t work brilliantly, but will theoretically improve the car’s range. Inside, meanwhile, all A6 e-trons come with a digital instrument display and massive touch-screen, both using Audi’s latest software. They aren’t as clever or as user-friendly as the systems in the old A6, but they’re still very sharp and there’s plenty of functionality. They can also be complemented by a dedicated passenger touch-screen, which feels a bit unnecessary, but the optional head-up display is not. It’s massive, and it can effectively superimpose navigation instructions and hazard warnings on the world outside. It’s really clever stuff.

Customers get a choice of different electric propulsion systems, with a choice between rear- and all-wheel-drive layouts, and a smaller battery for the entry level models. All versions of the A6 Sportback e-tron are pretty powerful – even the base version has more than 300 horsepower – but some are more powerful than others. Combine the big battery with the more powerful of the two rear-wheel-drive versions, and you’ll get the best range, as well as performance worthy of a fast hatchback. Choose one of the even more powerful, two-motor, all-wheel-drive cars and you’ll get the sort of power and straight-line speed normally reserved for supercars, but the Audi will still be quiet and refined. And it’ll handle neatly, albeit without that much in the way of driver involvement or excitement.