Audi Q6 e-tron first drive | Set to become a major fleet player

Audi is kickstarting its line-up with a new family of models, starting with the electric Q6 e-tron. It’s an excellent SUV, offering great technology, practicality and drivability at a competitive price point. It's set to become a major playor in the fleet segement.

Overview

It’s been a while since we’ve welcomed an all-new Audi model, so the arrival of the Q6 e-tron is a key moment for the brand.

From 2026, it plans to only launch electric cars and there’s plenty in the pipeline. The Q6 kickstarts a new era of electric Audis, which will include a new A6 saloon and estate model.

It’s essentially an electric Q5. You can tell just by looking at it. But dimensions are where the similarities end. Underpinning this Q6 e-tron is a brand-new platform that was co-developed by Audi and Porsche.

Unlike the Q4 e-tron, which is based on the VW ID 4, the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) is reserved for Audi and Porsche vehicles only. The Q6’s sister car is the Porsche Macan.

From a styling perspective, the Q6 is pure Audi. It has the brands signature front end design and integrates some e-tron GT inspired cues at the rear. It’s fresh and modern but without abandoning the classy appearance that existing Audi customers are attracted to.

Pricing starts at a whisker under £60,000, making the Q6 e-tron a key rival for the BMW iX3, Mercedes EQC and Tesla Model Y.

As the newest member of the pack, the Q6 e-tron will be particularly appealing to fleet customers in this segment as it offers a great specification, long range and is excellent to drive.

Comfort and practicality

The Q6 e-tron debuts a new interior architecture for Audi, centred around a large wraparound display. Quality materials are used throughout, giving the car a luxurious and upmarket feel.

It feels more conventional inside than a Q4, more like a natural successor to the Q5. There’s a raised centre console, which contributes to a sportier, more immersive driving position. The front seats are comfortable and supportive, while rear legroom is among the best in the segment. All the seats are heated and leather-wrapped, as standard.

The base Sport trim also comes with three-zone climate control and a slightly odd-shaped heated steering wheel. The top and bottom parts are flat, which makes it less invasive on interior space and visibility, but slightly unnatural to hold.

Boot space measures 526 litres, which is not far off what you’d get in a Q5. There’s also a 64-litre storage compartment under the bonnet – a good place to stash the charging cables.

The rear seats fold in a 40:20:40 split, opening up a 1,500-litre space that is ideal for those that need to transport flat-pack furniture or a couple of bicycles.

Safety and technology

Audi has developed a new infotainment system for the Q6 e-tron, which supports its larger central touchscreen and the integration of the climate controls.

There are a far fewer buttons in the Q6’s cabin, meaning that drivers will need to navigate the screen more. Thankfully, the interface is straightforward and easy to manage. There’s also a voice control system that uses artificial intelligence, for those that don’t want to take their hands off the wheel.

The central display measures 14.5 inches and sits above a small shelf that you can use to steady your hand. Connected services include traffic and weather reports. The sat-nav also includes a database of EV chargers and car display the charging price and availability of the devices on certain networks. When your destination exceeds the range of the car, the sat-nav will automatically generate a route that includes necessary charging stops.

Opting for the range-topping Edition One trim level sees the fitment of a third digital display, this time in front of the front passenger. Users can control the car’s infotainment system and also access online services such as video streaming and games.

The impressive on-board technology is supplemented by some equally impressive driver aids. The full suite of Audi assistance systems come as standard on all Q6 e-tron models, including adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera, blind spot monitor and lane keeping.

Driveability and range

From launch all Q6 e-tron models are equipped with a 100kWh battery. The range kicks off with the rear-wheel-drive Performance, which offers the longest range of the line-up at 392 miles. Its motor develops 326PS.

Later in the year, Audi will introduce a new base model with a smaller 83kWh battery. This will be known simply as the Q6 e-tron.

Two all-wheel-drive variants are also available, both using the 100kWh pack. There’s the 388PS Quattro and the 490PS SQ6. These models use the same physical powertrain components, with the additional power unlocked via software. The quoted range figures are up to 381 miles for the Quattro and 357 miles for the SQ6.

We’ve only driven the all-wheel-drive variants so far, as these are the first to become available.

The Q6 e-tron is a beautiful car to drive. It’s serene, near-silent and effortlessly quick. The cabin is extremely well-insulated from wind and road noise, the powertrain is silent in operation and throttle response is perfectly calibrated to give drivers full control of the power reserves.

Driving the Quattro back-to-back with the SQ6 highlights how competent the lower-powered car is. There’s a 1.6-second difference in 0-62mph acceleration times (5.9 vs 4.3), but in real-world driving you’d be hard pressed to notice a power deficit.

All the vehicles available at the press launch were equipped with air suspension, which does a fantastic job at ironing out the bumps and providing a comfortable and unflustered ride. On tighter bends the system keeps body roll in check and, while the Q6 isn’t a dynamic superstar, it’s an extremely competent vehicle.

In the UK, only the SQ6 will be equipped with air suspension. Quattro models will use conventional coil springs. We’re yet to test one to see how it performs, so watch this space.

While Audi quotes a 381-mile range for the Quattro, that only applies to the Sport trim level. In range topping Edition One guise, the official figure is 347 miles. During our testing of a fully-loaded Q6 in Spain, we were seeing 3.2mi/kWh – enough to comfortably exceed 300 miles on a charge. The SQ6 was delivering similar numbers, although if you really make use of the power reserves than expect to see around 2.5mi/kWh.

The battery supports rapid charging at 270kW, thanks to 800 volt architecture. This means a 10% - 80% charge can take just 21 minutes and Audi claims more than 150 miles of driving range can be added in 10 minutes.

Company car tax and running costs

Audi expects the S Line trim to be the most popular. On the Q6 e-tron Quattro it is priced from £71,975. We’d expect fleets to opt predominantly for the Performance model, at £66,475.

Compared to the BMW iX3, the Q6 e-tron has a higher list price but running costs are aligned at 75p per mile for the Quattro S Line when compared to the iX3 M Sport. The Audi does have more power and a longer range, however.

The Q6 is also considerably cheaper than the Mercedes EQC, while offering almost as much power and, again, more range. Running costs for the Merc are much higher, at 99p per mile.

Once the rear-wheel-drive derivatives are available, it’s likely the Q6 e-tron will be cheaper than its key rivals by a considerable margin.

Company car tax rates are 2% across the range, costing a 40% tax payer less than £50 per month for the Quattro S Line.