• Big, heavy, not very efficient
• Mild-hybrid tech does its best
• Servicing and parts pricey

What are the running costs?

Fuel economy for the Q8 50 TDI (286hp 3.0-litre diesel) is officially in the mid-30s miles-per-gallon (mpg). By modern standards that doesn’t seem very impressive, but underlines just how big and heavy this machine is – it weighs upwards of 2,160kg.

Meanwhile, the Q8 55 TFSI (340hp 3.0-litre petrol) is in the mid-20s, which makes the SQ8 (507hp 4.0-litre petrol) in the low 20s mpg seem rather reasonable, given its substantially greater performance. Obviously, this isn’t going to be a cheap car to run, despite the standard-fit mild-hybrid technology, and the CO2 emissions are very un-planet-friendly as well.

Insurance and parts will also be at the higher end, including consumable items such as the tyres. Very large and high performance, these will be in the range of hundreds of pounds per corner.

View details mpg and CO2 figures on our Audi Q8 specs page

Servicing and warranty

The Audi Q8’s standard warranty is for three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes sooner. Not especially generous, but not usual among premium products. Official Audi extended warranties are available at extra cost.

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Audi offers a choice of variable or fixed service intervals. For the former, the car will let you know when it needs to visit the dealer, travelling for up to 18,600 miles or two years between visits. These could come much sooner, depending on how and where the vehicle is driven – lots of short journeys are likely to result in more frequent servicing, for instance. Fixed interval servicing is every 9,300 miles or one year.

Audi service plans and interest-free payments are available to help spread the costs.

Reliability

• Shares tech with the Q7
• Hasn’t been faultless so far
• Limited changes for the facelift

The Audi Q8 is a relatively new model, only dating back to 2019. But it’s based on the much more established Audi Q7, so should be able to draw on the established reliability of that model.

However, these are complex machines, and owners of early cars have reported on electrical issues, suspension problems, steering problems and fluid leaks. The reliability – hardly terrible – seems to have improved over time, and since the facelift leaves the mechanical components largely untouched, we’re confident you shouldn’t have too many problems buying new now.

If buying used, check that the recall work has been done. There have been four so far, though none in 2022 or 2023, supporting the evidence that quality has consistently gone up.

Check out our Q8 owner reviews for more real-world feedback – this posh SUV scores very highly there.