Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 Audi A6 e-tron Sportback Performance
Price: A6 e-tron from £63,275, Performance from £69,900
Engine: 280kW electric motor
Battery: 100kWh lithium-ion
Transmission: single-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power: 380hp
Torque: 565Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 463 miles
0-62mph: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Boot space: 502 litres
Styling
Audi has built the A6 e-tron to be as aerodynamic as possible, so it gets a rounded new fastback shape, complete with a blanked-off grille and aerodynamic bumpers, as well as a tapered rear for cleaner airflow. Even the alloy wheel designs are aerodynamically optimised, and you can have so-called 'virtual' door mirrors that improve range but aren't that intuitive to use.
Technology also plays a part in the A6 Sportback e-tron's design, with customers able to specify customisable daytime running lights with eight different light 'signature' designs. There are eight more designs available for the rear lights, which can even 'communicate' with other road users. If you put the hazard lights on, the rear lights will display some warning triangles, while there's another symbol for when the car is parking or when someone is opening a door. It's all very clever, but you wonder how well unsuspecting cyclists will understand the hieroglyphs.
Interior
Unlike pretty much every other carmaker, Audi does not seem to be chasing minimalist interior designs. Yes, it has almost entirely removed buttons from the A6 Sportback e-tron's dashboard, but it's still a cornucopia of materials and angles. The materials are all quite upmarket, by and large, and they're generally well stitched together, but it's hardly a clean design.
Regardless of trim level and options, the dashboard is dominated by the digital instrument display and central touchscreen, both of which occupy the same curved housing. The instrument display is a bit of a disappointment, because it has less configurability and functionality than the Virtual Cockpit in the old A6, and the touchscreen isn't as user-friendly, either. Don't get us wrong, it's clear and modern, but without buttons on the dash, it has a lot of work to do, and it isn't as ergonomic as the old systems.
That said, we will give the touchscreen climate control systems some rare praise. Ordinarily, we'd detest such an idea, but Audi's implementation really isn't bad. You can always get at the temperature controls and demist button, so while it isn't as easy as pushing a button, it isn't as distracting as it could be.
But the better bits are the passenger display, which is oddly better than the touchscreen, and the head-up display, which is enormous. By covering such a large area of the windscreen, it allows the system to superimpose images over the outside world, such as navigation arrows that point you down the right road.
Practicality
Thanks to the swoopy coupe shape, you might expect the rear seats of the A6 Sportback e-tron to be somewhat cramped, but legroom is actually very good, and headroom isn't terrible either. Sure, taller passengers will prefer the Avant estate models, but those of average height will be perfectly at home in the Sportback. The only catch is it's difficult to get your feet under the front seats, so that reduces the legroom slightly.
Boot space, meanwhile, is identical whether you choose the Sportback or the Avant. At 502 litres, the space is slightly down on that of the BMW i5, but it's still reasonably roomy and most customers will find it more than adequate.
Performance
The A6 e-tron is being offered with a choice of four different powertrains at launch, with the base version getting an 83kWh battery pack and a 326hp, rear-mounted electric motor. That's more than quick enough - it gets from 0-62mph in six seconds flat - while the official range of 383 miles on a charge will be more than enough for most.
However, the Performance model tested here will be a more likely candidate for many, thanks to its 100kWh battery that extends the official range to 463 miles between charges. Maybe that kind of distance is pie in the sky, but it still means a usable real-world range of around 300 miles, and that should stop most people from getting too much range anxiety. The fact that the electric motor's output has increased to 380hp is also a nice bonus.
Of course, you can go for a more powerful A6 e-tron - the quattro version has two motors, all-wheel drive and 462hp, while the S6 e-tron gets 551hp - but they don't have quite as much range as the Performance, and the S6 in particular doesn't feel as fast as the figures suggest.
So it's the Performance we'd recommend for most, with a rapid 0-62mph time of around five-and-a-half seconds and a top speed of 130mph, as well as 270kW charging that allows it to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in around 20 minutes at maximum DC charging speed. Assuming you can find a charger powerful enough for the job, that is.
Ride & Handling
Audi claims to have worked hard on the A6 e-tron's road manners, and while it's true that the Audi gets much closer to its German rivals than some of its predecessors ever did, it still doesn't handle as well as a BMW i5. That said, our test car was a German-registered example, fitted with an air suspension system that isn't available in the UK at present unless you choose an S6, so we can't yet draw too many solid conclusions.
We do know that Audi's work on the steering has paid off, but only to an extent. The A6 e-tron responds neatly and tidily to inputs from the driver, but it doesn't offer that much feel or feedback, and it never gets that involving. Grip is ample, although the rear end will kick out gently if you plant the throttle mid-corner, and body control is adequate without being exemplary.
In short, the Audi feels safe and stable, but not exactly exciting, which is precisely what most customers will want. And with the air suspension (which doesn't mean much), it rides pretty well too. It's a bit soft and occasionally gets caught out if you hit two bumps in quick succession, but it's nice and fluid on a motorway drive. We'll have to wait and see whether the steel suspension of UK-bound A6 e-trons performs better or worse.
Value
A6 Sportback e-tron prices start at £62,500 for the basic e-tron in Sport trim, which provides 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated front seats and three-zone climate control, as well as the two massive screens in the cabin and a 360-degree manoeuvring camera. Spend another £3,500 and you can have the S line, with its leather upholstery, sporty bumpers and privacy glass, while the range-topping Edition 1 comes in at £71,000 and gets bigger wheels, the clever headlights and red brake callipers, as well as heated rear seats and the passenger display.
You can have all three trim levels across the three main battery-and-motor combinations - the e-tron, Performance and quattro models - with the Performance tested here starting at £69,900 in Sport form. The S6, however, only comes in Edition 1 form, and starts at £97,500.
Verdict
The A6 Sportback e-tron isn't necessarily exciting, but it is wholly competent, and the combination of range, quality and technology is sure to entice plenty of buyers. For those who value driver engagement above almost everything else, the BMW i5 might still be a better bet, but for everyone else, the Audi is arguably the more compelling car.
