​​New Audi Q6 e-tron is almost as pricey as a Porsche

The lid has been lifted on the new Audi Q6 e-tron, with the firm’s electric SUV priced from £68,975 – just £825 less than the new Porsche Macan with which it shares much of its ‘PPE’ platform and battery tech. A cheaper, rear-drive Q6 e-tron will launch later, slashing almost £10k from the car’s price.

As an electric SUV which occupies the same segment as the brand’s global best-seller, the Q5, there’s great expectation being lumped on the all-new EV. It’s no surprise then that the full force of Audi’s technical know-how has been thrown at the Q6 e-tron.

We had a chance to drive a late prototype back in August last year, but at that point the specs and the interior were largely under wraps. Now we have the full technical specs and prices on hand, and the brand is very confident that the newcomer will not only move the game on significantly from other EVs in its range, but will set the class standards for performance, range, charging and driving dynamics.

New Audi Q6 e-tron prices and specs

The new Audi Q6 e-tron costs £68,975 in base quattro guise. Sport, S line and Edition 1 specs will be offered from launch, with further models due “later in 2024”. The faster SQ6 e-tron is also on sale now, priced from £92,950.

That dual-motor Q6 e-tron features a 95kWh battery, which Audi says is good for up to 381 miles of range. Sport spec gets a 11.9-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen. There’s leather sports seats, heated seats front and rear, plus three-zone climate control and keyless entry. Outside, the cars feature 19-inch wheels, LED lights and two AC charge ports – one on either side. 

All quattro-equipped models ordered before the end of June 2025 will also get Audi’s Sound and Vision pack, with a Bang and Olufsen stereo, augmented-reality head-up display, more powerful USB ports and an ambient-lighting package.

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S line costs £3,000 more, bringing 20-inch wheels, sportier body styling and privacy glass. Inside there’s a heated three-spoke steering wheel with shift paddles, plus a dark headlining.

Edition one is another £5,000 on top (£76,975), but adds all the bells and whistles. There’s 21-inch wheels, for example, plus sports suspension and Audi’s ‘e-tron sports sound’ generator. There’s matrix LED lights and red brake calipers, while inside you’ll find an extra display for the passenger, electrically-operated sports seats, and different fabrics. 

The SQ6 e-tron, with its 510bhp dual-motor powertrain and 358-mile range is initially only available in Edition 1 guise. These cars come with adaptive air suspension, S exterior styling, OLED tail-lights and a panoramic roof. Inside, there’s Nappa leather, electric steering-wheel adjustment and that aforementioned Sound and Vision pack.

Single-motor models will join later in 2024, priced from £59,975. A ‘performance’ variant of that car will cost £63,475; both will come with a choice of Sport, S line and Edition 1 trims.

New Audi Q6 e-tron design and interior 

From the outside, Audi has been fairly conservative with the Q6 e-tron. The exterior takes inspiration from the e-tron GT around its curved and blistered wheel arches, while the dark inserts on the lower parts of the doors are a nod to the flagship Q8 e-tron. At 4,771mm long, it’s 108mm longer than the current Q5.

Look closer, however, and the Q6 e-tron’s intrigue comes in its details. The LED lights at the front are split in two; the lower section deals with dipped and high beam, while each upper unit features customisable daytime running graphics thanks to the 61 individual segments. The lights sit beside an inverted version of Audi’s ‘Singleframe’ grille. Here, it’s fared in and painted in body colour, with much of the surrounding area in black.

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At the back, the Q6 e-tron lights get OLED tech. Three individual panels within each tail-light house another 60 individual segments, which can operate like pixels to provide a range of different lighting graphics, and even inform other road users of an impending hazard or if the car enters its semi-autonomous driving mode.

Inside, the cabin features a completely different layout in order to house a brand-new operating system for the infotainment and instrument panel. Ahead of the driver sits an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster, which blends seamlessly into a 14.5-inch MMI Touch Display within a gently curving panel

The Android-based operating system houses most of the controls on that screen; while we always prefer physical controls for the climate control, Audi counters with the fact that in this instance, voice commands are the most important means for changing settings. Up to 800 functions can be controlled by a range of 100 interactions through the ‘Hey Audi’ voice assistant, which can learn the voice commands from both the driver and the front passenger and even proactively make suggestions based on the previous habits. The passenger also gets a 10.9-inch tertiary screen, which allows them to change settings themselves.

We also had a chance to sit in the second row, and the Q6 e-tron looks set to become a class-leader for interior space, with both head and knee room offered in abundance. The 526-litre boot is generous, and backed up by a roomy 64-litre storage area under the bonnet.

New Audi Q6 e-tron battery, motor, range and charging

Two models will be offered at launch. The Q6 quattro and the SQ6 both feature a twin-motor layout and a 100kWh (94.9kWh net) battery whose 580kg mass forms part of the car’s floor. 

PPE can house one of three front motors and two rear motors, and whichever is fitted, Audi claims that the oil-cooled units are not just the quietest of any EV, but also the most efficient. The Q6 produces a combined 382bhp, while the SQ6’s peak output is 510bhp – enough for 0-62mph times of 5.9 and 4.3 seconds respectively.

Later in the Q6 e-tron’s life, a pair of rear-wheel drive models will join the range. The standard model will use a smaller 83kWh battery, while the other, called ‘performance’, will have the 100kWh unit for an even longer range than the all-wheel drive launch model. We’ve also spotted a hot RS Q6 testing, and it’s expected to produce over 600bhp. 

Charging should be suitably rapid, thanks to 800-volt architecture capable of a peak charge speed of 270kW – enough for a 10-80 per cent top up in just 21 minutes. Based on Audi’s official data, a charge of at least 250kW will be possible between 10-35 per cent, and even though all EV’s charge speeds tail off as they reach their maximum level, the Q6 will still be capable of 100kW at 80 per cent. An on-board 11kW AC charger will be offered from launch, with a quicker 22kW system coming later. Like the e-tron GT, the Q6 e-tron features two AC charge ports – one on each side – to make home charging easier.

A multi-source heat pump draws air not only from the outside environment but also captures waste heat from the powertrain. This level of thermal management, Audi says, has a range of benefits; the more efficient cooling and heating of the cabin, and the ability to maintain a battery temperature closer to the optimum level at all times means that it improves range by roughly 20 miles between -10 and +20 degrees centigrade, and also ensures the claimed charging speeds and 0-62mph times can be repeatedly achieved.

In addition to this, the Q6 e-tron will boast some of the strongest brake regeneration tech seen on any EV so far. The motors can recover up to 220kW of energy when slowing down, which can be split between either axle depending on the brake force required and prevailing road conditions. It’s enough, says Audi, that roughly 95 per cent of stops can be covered without using the mechanical braking system at all. 

As we found in our prototype drive, the system not only recovers energy well, but feels very natural and reassuring through the left pedal. The regen settings can be adjusted through three levels of strength via the steering wheel mounted paddles, while a stronger ‘B’ mode is chosen via the drive selector.

This all means that the Q6 quattro will return a range of up to 381 miles based on WLTP data – 50 miles more than a Tesla Model Y Long Range. The SQ6 offers slightly less (358 miles) – a result of its wider wheels and tyres rather than a side effect of its higher power output. 

Following the formula of other Audi SUVs, a sleeker Sportback model will also follow at a later date – expect a £3,000 or so premium over the regular model.

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