Tested: 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron EV Soothes, Lacks Swagger

Car and Driver

6 hours ago

Roundabouts have been sprouting up across America, including along the little countryside roads connecting Car and Driver's Ann Arbor home base to our 10Best evaluation loop. This mark of progress can rile some drivers, but Audi's Q6 e-tron uses its electric strengths to take the edge off that on-the-ground change.
As we approached roundabouts and lifted off the accelerator, this compact electric SUV's regenerative braking reliably scrubbed off just the right amount of speed, letting us glide in easily and accelerate out briskly. Likewise, when approaching tighter curves or going downhill, the Q6 cranked up the regen and simply sailed through.
EVs, like roundabouts, are something that makes a world of sense—and whether you love 'em, hate 'em, or land somewhere in between, they're increasingly part of the future. Porsche and Audi got a head start on the fast-charging 800-volt form with the Taycan and e-tron GT, respectively. Now, about five years later, the VW Group has transposed that tech for a broader market with the Audi Q6 and its PPE (Premium Platform Electric) fundamentals, which are shared with the Porsche Macan EV.
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Michael Simari
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Car and Driver
Those underlying bits help make the Q6 one of today's fastest-charging EVs. Audi says its battery can juice from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 21 minutes on a DC fast-charger, with a peak at 270 kilowatts. During testing, we saw a 35-minute charge from 10 to 90 percent with a peak of 264 kilowatts and an average of 129 kilowatts. That's a far quicker time than we've seen from the BMW iX, and it even beats the 800-volt Kia EV9 (which has about the same-size battery pack) by a couple of minutes.
HIGHS: Road-trip-ready fast-charging, real-world range, impressive brakes and regen.
Audi has suggested that NACS charging adapters are on the way this year, and when that time comes, the Q6 e-tron will be able to charge at rates of up to 135 kilowatts on Tesla's legacy V3 Superchargers, by splitting its 94-kWh battery pack into two 400-volt halves charged in parallel. To make charging more accessible, the Q6 e-tron has AC charge ports on both sides (with DC on the driver's side, as well, which works out nicely for Superchargers). In 75-mph highway driving, the Q6 e-tron went 250 miles, sailing 10 miles farther than an EV9 while carrying a battery with roughly the same capacity. And that was with our tester's optional 20-inch wheels (19s are standard), which bring a 295-mile EPA range rating.
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Michael Simari
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Car and Driver
Outside of the Q6 e-tron's excellent charging and range credentials, it's an EV to consider thanks to its overall comfort and easygoing drivability, including that context-sensitive regeneration that varies depending on hills, intersections, corners, and more. It incorporates inputs from long-range radar, the front camera, road-sign data, and navigation-system data for hills and curves.
The Q6 e-tron defaults to that auto regen setting with each vehicle start, and given how well it worked for the commute, that's just fine. Coasting and two other levels of deeper regen can be tapped into with steering-wheel paddles, and there's a one-pedal B mode on the shift toggle that lets you gradually come to a stop without pressing the brake.
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Michael Simari
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Car and Driver
Range, efficiency, charging, and the ease of the EV experience clearly distinguish the Q6 e-tron from the rest of the pack of electric luxury SUVs. But our other impressions weren't as decidedly positive. During our testing, editors found the Q6 e-tron to be competent but confoundingly plain. This, despite a pair of electric motors conferring a combined 456 horsepower.
With soft suspension tuning and light steering, it doesn't feel like Audi made much of an attempt to dial athleticism into this 5440-pound SUV. Performance-minded drivers should look to the sportier SQ6 e-tron model or the electric Macan. That said, our test car's adaptive dampers and optional air springs make it feel more lithe on the back roads than it initially lets on. The Q6 is also appropriately quiet—except when the run-flat Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S all-season tires are signaling their relatively low boundaries (we recorded a middling 0.86 g of skidpad grip but a reasonably hushed 68 decibels of noise inside at 70 mph).
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Michael Simari
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Thankfully, with all of that power underfoot, the Q6 is not poky in a straight line. It reaches 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, which is 0.2 second quicker than the 500-hp Cadillac Lyriq AWD, the same amount slower than the 402-hp Mercedes EQE500 4Matic SUV, and a half-second quicker than Audi's own claims. There's no wheelspin or drama when you unleash this Audi's launch-control function; it all happens in a very anticlimactic whoosh. One downside to the vaultlike interior: In real-world driving, the high level of insulation from the outside world makes it easy to achieve speeds higher than what you intend or what the local constabulary may approve of. But the well-blended brakes allowed precise control in parking lots and traffic, as well as a solid 169-foot stop from 70 mph.
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Michael Simari
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Car and Driver
The Audi Q6 e-tron is unmistakably an Audi, but is it unmistakably an EV? Does Audi want people to realize that from a few paces away? From first look, those questions amount to a puzzle that Audi enthusiasts will be able to put together, but this isn't a vehicle for Audi enthusiasts. In terms of profile, proportions, and contouring, Audi hasn't yet transformed the look of EVs like it proposed in its exciting "-sphere" concepts, nor has much creativity gone into interior space and design. The Q6 e-tron doesn't break the mold of the gas-burning Q5 much, although there is a two-cubic-foot frunk.
LOWS: Quick, not sporty; anodyne proportions; Audi cabin swagger's gone missing.
Though the cabin may not be revolutionary, it's not light on space. The interior feels tall and airy relative to other aero-styled electric SUVs, with supportive, well-bolstered seats, including uncompromised adult-size seat contouring for the rear outboard positions.
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Michael Simari
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However, the Q6 e-tron Quattro doesn't quite keep up with the cabin standards we expect in an Audi—especially one with this example's $76,790 as-tested price. Our test car's natural wood inlays add some character, particularly to the door panels, but it wasn't enough to offset a range of comments panning the ubiquitous piano-black dash and the cost-cutting look and feel of some materials.
This Audi did deliver a luxury experience in terms of ride, comfort, and quiet. The top-spec Prestige trim's upgrades include acoustic front side glass and an adaptive air suspension that excelled in soaking up lumpy back-road surfaces and freeway expansion strips. It amounted to a silent and soothing in-cabin experience. Hopefully you can learn to ignore the Q6's synthetic propulsion sounds, which can't be disabled.
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Michael Simari
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Car and Driver
The Prestige package also adds a panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, a 10.9-inch front passenger touchscreen that allows video streaming, and an augmented-reality head-up display that's customizable but cluttered. Thankfully, Audi's AI-informed digital voice assistant was able to turn the HUD on or off with one simple request, which beats sifting through a legion of screen menus—Audi's infotainment didn't elicit much praise in our logbook. There's a deep trove of assistance features here as well: dynamic exterior lighting, remote- and cloud-based controls, an overzealous lane-keeping system that you'll probably want to turn off.
The Lyriq, the iX, and the EQE SUV do not have 800-volt charging systems or anything close to the Q6 e-tron's fast-charging times. But each offers a distinctive cabin experience.
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Michael Simari
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The Q6 e-tron represents a bet on a different kind of experience—one that's quick and soothing and respects that people want to spend less time charging. And, perhaps, less time on traffic-clogged roundabouts.
VERDICT: The Q6 e-tron is loaded with tech and quietly primed for mainstream luxury, not four-ring enthusiasts.
Specifications
Specifications
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron Quattro
Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $67,095/$76,790
Options: Prestige package (adaptive air suspension, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, acoustic front side windows, head- and taillight animations, head-up display with augmented-reality overlays, Bang & Olufsen audio system, cabin preconditioning, dynamic interaction lighting, heated steering wheel and outboard rear seats, headlight washers, LED headlights and interior lighting, 10.9-inch passenger display, panoramic sunroof, configurable daytime-running-light signatures, 360-degree camera system), $6800; Warm Weather package (manual rear side-window sunshades, ventilated front sport seats, front headrest speakers, Stone Grey birchwood inlays), $1300; 20-inch 5-spoke bi-color wheels with all-season tires, $1000; Glacier White Metallic paint, $595
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: induction AC, 188 hp, 203 lb-ft
Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 375 hp, 428 lb-ft
Combined Power: 456 hp
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 94 kWh
Onboard Charger: 9.6 kW
Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 270 kW
Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented disc/13.8-in vented disc
Tires: Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S RFT
F: 255/50R-20 109H M+S REO
R: 285/45R-20 112H M+S REO
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.7 in
Length: 187.8 in
Width: 76.3 in
Height: 66.6 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 52/47 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 60/30 ft3
Front Trunk Volume: 2 ft3
Curb Weight: 5440 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.4 sec
100 mph: 10.4 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.8 sec @ 111 mph
130 mph: 19.0 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.7 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.4 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 169 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 346 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 94 MPGe
75-mph Highway Range: 250 mi
Average DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 129 kW
DC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 35 min
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 95/102/89 MPGe
Range: 295 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED