• Long electric range
• Fast charging available
• Low BIK for company car use

What are the running costs?

Thanks to its big batteries and impressive aerodynamics, the A6 Sportback E-Tron offers excellent efficiency for a large electric car. Official figures range from 3.8 to 4.5 miles per kWh, with the Performance model offering the longest driving range at 463 miles.

As with all electric cars, you won’t get such figures in the real world generally. We averaged 3.6mi/kWh in our test car, giving a real-world range of around 350 miles. Though some way off the claimed figure, it’s still an impressive number nonetheless.

Charging speeds are impressive. Even the base model supports up to 225kW rapid charging, while Performance and quattro versions go up to 270kW. That means a 10-to-80% top-up in just over 20 minutes if you can find the right charger.

Company car drivers will find the A6 E-Tron especially appealing thanks to its low Benefit-in-Kind tax rate. It’s more expensive than the ID.7, but you get more performance and more prestige in return.

Servicing and warranty

Audi offers a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty as standard, which can be extended for an additional cost. The electric drivetrain and battery are covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

As a mainstream premium brand, Audi’s dealer network is extensive and EV-trained. You can buy service plans that bundle maintenance into monthly payments, which can help with budgeting.

The A6 E-Tron’s running gear is largely shared with other models in the Volkswagen Group, which should help keep costs predictable. Servicing intervals are once every two years or 18,000 miles.

Reliability

• New platform, proven components
• Backed by eight-year battery warranty
• Still early days for long-term data

The A6 E-Tron is a new model, so it’s too early to draw conclusions about long-term reliability. However, it’s based on the same PPE platform as the Q6 E-Tron and Porsche Macan, both of which share components and manufacturing processes.

While our experience with the A6 e-tron has been faultless so far, we are aware of numerous software issues with other cars using this platform and the same software. On a previous Q6 e-tron we tested, various driver assistance features wouldn’t work because of a software-related issue. We will continue to update this review once we have a bigger picture of the car’s reliability, and, if you own one already, encourage you to leave an owners’ review to help other buyers make their decision.