11-07-2025
Test-Driving The Audi A6 E-Tron Avant
Audi A6 e-tron driving
£87,360 ($118,566) is how much my Audi A6 e-tron loaner cost—my first house didn't even cost that much. Being the Launch Edition guise, the A6 e-tron, however, included a few extra features, some good and some subpar, a slightly bigger battery and a more powerful motor.
Audi A6 E-Tron Specifications
Depending on preference, you can have the Audi A6 e-tron as a Sportback or an Avant in the UK. £62,540 gets you the former and £64,430 for the latter. America get the Sportback only, priced from $65,900.
Entry-level UK cars get a 75.8kWh (usable) battery and 286 PS (326 under launch control), meaning 0-to-62 mph takes a leisurely seven seconds.
Upgrade to Performance, like the one I had, for an additional £7,400 and battery capacity rises to 94.9kWh, while power is increased to 367 PS (380 under launch control), dropping the 0-to-62 mph time to 5.4 seconds. Finally, the e-tron quattro ups power to 428 and 462PS and shares the Performance battery.
Audi A6 e-tron
The sweet spot is the Performance powertrain. Audi claims an electric range of 419 to 464 miles, while the base car is 346 to 384 miles; the e-tron 400 to 440 miles.
American cars come in three trims: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. Powertrains include Premium, 375 bhp and a circa 370-mile range, and quattro, 456 bhp and a 333-mile range.
Life With The Audi A6 E-Tron
After one week and 130 miles, the A6 e-tron left me feeling ambivalent. It might be cutting-edge gorgeous, be packed with impressive tech and have a decent range, but I struggled to see 87 grand, even with my glasses on.
Adjusting to the A6 e-tron's avant-garde interior took time; it was overwhelming at first, having more screens than the Starship Enterprise, but I was ready to go after watching various 'How to' YouTube tutorials and fiddling with menus.
The authors loan vehicle
303 miles with 99% charge; 116 miles off Audi's claimed figure. In some electric cars, like the Ford Mach-E, resetting the trip computer often refreshes the car's range, but not the A6 e-tron. Resetting the various trip screens and selecting the 'Efficiency Plus' drive mode made no difference. It wasn't the most efficient EV either, returning just 3.1 mi/kWh on most runs, but it is a large and comfortable car packed with mod cons, after all.
My loaner also had the 10.9" co-pilot MMI screen, which allows passenger princesses or princes to wreak havoc. Word of advice: don't annoy your co-pilot before, or you could find yourself listening to a loop of 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy' by Rod Stewart for your journey's duration while en route to the moon, because they've tampered with the sat-nav.
Audi A6 e-tron interior
The co-pilot screen is only available on Launch Edition and Edition 1 cars; anything below gets a slab of plastic.
On the road, the A6 e-tron handles wonderfully, as you'd expect from a low-slung EV. And despite being the rear-wheel drive guise, its wheels never slipped under harsh acceleration; it was all very polite, and behaved exactly as a luxury electric barge should.
Stomping the throttle pushes your passengers backwards, you'll hear some 'ohs and ahs', but it quickly runs out of steam at around 60 mph. This said, it's no slouch: 30 to 70 mph takes just 4.2 seconds, putting it just 0.2 of a second behind a Genesis GV60 Performance.
Audi a6 e-tron camera mirrors
Motorway driving is its forte, however. The A6 e-tron effortlessly glided along Britain's questionable motorway network, its air suspension soaking up bumps and ruts. Similarly, my sound meter recorded 63.6 dB at 70 mph, putting the A6 e-tron just 1.6 dB behind a Rolls-Royce Cullinan II.
If you own dogs, or have ginormous friends over 6ft, you'll be pleased to know the A6-etron has ample boot space, head and leg room. Likewise, my Akita pooch was incredibly comfortable in the A6 e-tron's 502-litre boot, while my Husky enjoyed the back seats, the rear featuring door pillar-mounted air vents, in her Dog Pod bed.
Author's dog in rear seat
Audi A6 E-Tron Verdict
You don't need a mortgage to own an A6 e-tron, but it's worth noting that lower-spec cars aren't available with plush air suspension or 4WD. However, the 2WD car is ideal for everyday use.
The cabin, as pretty as it is, had questionable materials in places, which largely had me questioning the sticker price. There's lots of Alcantara and lovely leather throughout, but scratchy plastics could be felt low on the doors and under the dash. Then there's the cup holder cover, a small detail, but it feels tawdry and lets the expensive-feeling cabin down a bit.
Authors dog in A6 e-tron's boot
And finally, the camera mirrors, which fold when locking. These are hopeless. It made parking awful and even conjured motion sickness when combined with the reversing camera that pans from left to right when the steering wheel is turned.
These points aside, the A6 e-tron is reasonably priced in base form when compared with its competitors. Its refinement is excellent, it's quiet, smooth, and you'll never get bored of looking at it.
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