Written by Ted Welford Updated: 29 October 2024

Overview

The Audi Q6 E-Tron is a new arrival in Audi’s range and you won’t win any prizes for guessing that it slots into the line-up between the Q4 and Q8 E-Trons as a mid-sized electric SUV to bolster Audi’s family car offering.

It’s worth spending a moment to unravel that badge: Q signifies it’s an SUV, 6 means it’s priced and positioned akin to the A6 range of executive cars and E-Tron signals that this is all-electric, with no petrol, diesel or hybrid powertrain options. As such, it’s Audi’s answer to the BMW iX3 , Tesla Model Y and Jaguar I-Pace EVs.

It’s worthy of consideration for your shortlist, thanks to a long-legged 381-mile EV range, some fine driving dynamics and a design redolent of the premium quality for which Audi has become famous.

We’ve driven the Q6 E-Tron in several forms at the international launch, and we’ll be further driving it as more versions are rolled out. You can find out more about how we test on Parkers via our dedicated explainer page. But in the meantime, here’s what Tim Pollard found when he had the car in Germany.

What’s it like inside?

Stepping in to the Audi Q6 electric SUV, my first impressions are of a luxurious cabin. Materials, fit and finish are exemplary throughout and the design of the interior will be familiar to anyone who’s sat in a recent Audi executive car. The most striking aspect of the cockpit is the curved digital displays in front of the driver: the instrument panel is a 11.9-inch screen and it’s integrated with an even bigger 14.5-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard for all major controls.

Audi has managed to dodge some of the touchscreen woes that have blighted parent company Volkswagen and it aims to stay ahead with this very latest infotainment system dubbed E3 1.2. Sounds like jargon, actually means new software and hardware to make the touchscreens operate seamlessly and logically.

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I found it easy to operate, although there is a lot of data displayed and it can be time-consuming to track down the one piece of information you need. The instrument panel alone has more than 20 data points to assimilate while on the move.

The actual menus and logic of the on-board computers are easy to use and Audi promises that over-the-air updates will continue to bring extra functionality in the years ahead. Case in point: the Q6 E-Tron will soon offer integration with Microsoft Teams, so you’ll be able to join work calls on the move. Best not mention that feature to your boss if you don’t want work to follow you 24/7.

Another expensive option is a 10.9-inch third screen in front of the passenger seat. We’d argue that the main touchscreens are more than enough and it’s digital overload.

There’s oodles of space front and rear and the boot is huge at 526 litres (or 1,529 litres once the rear seats are folded). The tailgate operates electrically and it’s easy to slide luggage and loads in and out. Disappointingly, the 64-litre front trunk – or ‘frunk’ – is part of the UK market’s storage and luggage compartment option at £500.

Parents note there are two Isofix child car seat attachment points in the rear, or you can place your little one in the front passenger seat which offers the same facility.

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Audi Q6 electric motors

There are just two power outputs offered: the regular Audi Q6 E-Tron or you can step up to the traditional Audi sporting badge for the spicier SQ6 E-Tron. Interestingly, all Audi Q6 models come with identical hardware co-developed with Porsche and the additional performance is liberated by software. The regular models deploy 388hp through all four wheels with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive, helping deliver the traction needed to sprint from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds.

The performance figures balloon if you pay the extra to upgrade to the SQ6. You get an extra hundred horsepower for 490hp – enough to cut the customary 0-62mph sprint to just 4.3 seconds.

If you find both powertrain choices a little OTT, you may prefer to wait for the cheaper, less powerful 302bhp Q6 arriving towards the end of 2024. It drops an electric motor, making it rear-wheel drive only.

What’s it like to drive?

Remember we said the Audi Q6 E-Tron was co-developed with sports car royalty? It shares its new PPE platform with the Porsche Macan EV, foregoing the rear-wheel steer of that car but otherwise many components are identical. It shows in how the Q6 drives.

There’s a pleasing polish to this electric Audi: refinement is first class, as you’d expect in an EV, but road and wind noise are as well contained as the hubbub of the motor, making for a very relaxing drive.

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The suspension is comfort-oriented and I found that the car absorbs most of the road scars and acne that our test route threw at it. Yet when you spear off the main road in search of twisting back roads, the Q6 doesn’t lose composure. It handles better than a 2.4-tonne SUV has a right to.

One feature that caught us out was the regenerative braking mode. There are four stepped levels of regen, where the electric motors provide old-school ‘engine braking’ to harvest energy wasted during braking. Drivers can use the steering wheel paddles to spool regen up or down – or go to maximum one-pedal driving B (for Braking) mode, which provides maximum deceleration when you lift off.

It’s a little confusing because the car always defaults to Auto mode unless you select B, meaning you regularly have to tap the paddles to maintain regen braking.

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What models and trims are available?

Choose from three different trim levels: the regular Q6 E-Tron is available in Sport, S Line or Edition 1 spec, each bringing a higher level of equipment and styling packs to pamper and stand out from the crowd:

• Audi Q6 E-Tron Sport: 19-inch alloys, LED headlights and rear lamps, keyless entry and start, four heated seats, three-zone climate control, MMI navigation, adaptive cruise control
• Audi Q6 E-Tron S line: Upgrades over Sport include 20-inch alloys, S line styling, privacy glass, black cloth headlining, S embossed front seats, heated three-spoke sports steering wheel
• Audi Q6 E-Tron Edition 1: Upgrades over S line include 21-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, matrix headlamps, E-Tron sports sound, MMI 10.9in third digital display in front of passenger, electrically adjustable front sports seats, dashboard in Dinamica microfibre with contrast stitching

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Audi UK says that half of all sales will be the regular S Line model, while a third of buyers will pick the Sport trim. Only 3% will step up to the SQ6, reflecting its premium price positioning and supercar-baiting levels of performance.

There are options galore, but one that really stands out is the head-up display (HUD), whose projection is 30% bigger, more colourful and easier to follow than before. Augmented reality features bring dynamic turn arrows to your sat-nav instructions, beaming them on to the windscreen before your eyes – and there’s even a games mode to entertain when you’re parked up.

It’s worth remembering that the headline 381-mile EV range only applies to the entry-level Sport models. The bigger wheels and different equipment specs of the S Line and Edition 1 depress the range to nearer 350 miles.

What else should I know?

The new PPE hardware underpinning the Audi Q6 E-Tron brings significantly improved EV credentials. There’s a large 100kWh battery whose energy density is around 30% improved for a decently long range of 381 miles on the WLTP European standard and Audi’s first 800-volt network means that charging is lightning fast. In typical mixed driving conditions, we would expect around 300 miles of use on one charge should be achievable.

In terms of efficiency, Audi claims 3.7 miles per kilowatt hour but we averaged nearer 3.0, dropping to the mid-to-high 2s in faster motorway driving. Don’t forget, as with combustion cars, most models do not achieve the efficiency their makers claim, but we would say the Q6 is about on par with cars of its size and class.

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When time comes to recharge, the latest group hardware means the Q6 can top up that sizeable battery at quite a rate; Audi claims 270kW charging, assuming you can find one of Britain’s very fastest DC chargers that can deliver that much power. One little design feature I loved: there are charging flaps on both sides of the car, a trait pioneered by the very first Audi E-Tron. Both ports will allow AC charging at home, with the DC rapid-charger on one side. Both flaps are motorised.

A three-year/60,000-mile warranty is standard and customers looking at long-term ownership can extend that to four years/75k for £635 or five years/90k at a cost of £1,670. The Q6 E-Tron has a particularly sculpted shape and stands out with its use of fancy LED lighting – something Audis are renowned for. The firm claims its new SUV boasts the ‘world’s first active digital light signature’.

There are 360 segments in the car’s LED lights, which can generate a new image every 10 milliseconds. The rear lights also have a new integrated warning symbol which can help alert other road users of accidents and breakdowns. It’s pretty clever stuff, though we’re not sure of the real-world advantages given that’s what hazard warning lights are designed to do. 

The Audi Q6 is a wholly logical addition to the ranks of premium electric SUVs, but does it have the mettle to beat its rivals? Read on to see how we rate it after driving several versions on UK roads in our verdict.