Audi’s all-electric executive car, the A6 e-tron, has finally arrived, and order books are open now ahead of first customer deliveries in early 2025. A new smaller-battery, single-motor entry-level model has joined the ranks too.

The A6 e-tron comes as Audi's line-up undergoes a reshuffle that means even-numbered models are EVs, while odd-numbered offerings are powered by internal-combustion - essentially making the upcoming A7 a replacement for the old A6. The new A6 e-tron’s rivals include the likes of the BMW i5, Mercedes EQE and even lower-spec versions of the Porsche Taycan. 

Audi offers two bodystyles of A6 e-tron – Sportback and Avant estate – plus there are high-performance S6 versions of both. And we’ll see the hot RS 6 arrive next year as the line-up’s flagship.

Audi A6 e-tron pricing and powertrains

The A6 e-tron was initially revealed with just a 94.9kWh battery, but Audi has added a smaller 75.8kWh battery to the range. This brings pricing down to £62,500 for the Sport trim level, rising to £66,000 for the S line, and £71,000 for the Edition 1.

From launch, the only dual-motor quattro A6 e-tron was the sporty S6, but this has now been joined by the ‘quattro’ edition, which sits above the existing Performance trim. Starting at £75,000 in Sport guise, rising to £78,500 in S line trim and topping out with the £83,500 Edition 1, the A6 e-tron quattro uses the same 94.9kWh battery as the Performance and S6 editions. This allows for a 445-mile range in the Sportback and a 426-mile range in the Avant. 

The quattro’s dual-motor powertrain puts out 455bhp and 840Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds in the Sportback, with the Avant taking 0.2 seconds longer. 

The rear-wheel-drive, single-motor Performance trim starts at £69,900 in Sport trim, £73,400 in S line and £78,400 in Edition 1. The Performance’s 375bhp rear-mounted motor means a 0-62mph time of 5.4 seconds and a 130mph top speed. Mated to a battery of 94.9kWh, the A6 e-tron Sportback Performance has the longest range in the line-up – 463 miles – with the Avant just behind, at 437 miles. 

Then there’s the flagship S6. Power climbs to 542bhp from its pair of motors, dropping the 0-62mph time down to 3.9 seconds and bumping the top speed to 149mph, but also dropping range from the same battery pack. S6 Sportbacks will go up to 405 miles between charges, and the Avant drops under the 400-mile mark, with a 388-mile range.

New Audi A6 e-tron design 

Like the petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid A5 models revealed in July, the A6 ditches a traditional three-box saloon-style body in favour of a sleeker sportback shape. Exterior designer Sascha Heyde told us the maker “didn’t want to do something different just because it’s an EV”.

That means the boot is hinged from the roofline rather than at the base of the window, which should boost practicality for those wanting their executive car to sometimes double as a van.

Yet if that sounds like you, you’ll almost certainly be better served by the new Avant estate version. It prioritises practicality with a 502-litre boot, which expands to 1,422 litres with the rear seats folded down. Both cars also get a 27-litre front luggage area and a 2,100kg towing limit.

Predictably, the A6 displays strong visual links to its Q6 e-tron SUV sibling. Thin daytime-running lights flank an inverted grille and sit above a set of hidden headlights nestled within the bumper. The car’s ‘technical unit’ – sensors, radars and the like – features front and centre, which Heyde says was intentional, playing on the car’s position as a hi-tech flagship.

The wide front end gives the car a purposeful stance, and this continues to the side; the large wheels (19 to 21 inches in diameter) have been pushed to the corners, emphasising the lengthy wheelbase, which improve accommodation for those in the cabin.

The smooth details draw the eye to the rear, past a set of flush door handles (digital mirrors are available as an extra) and extensive cladding embossed with the ‘e-tron’ logo along the sills. The A6 e-tron gets a charge port on either side – one for DC fast charging and another for slower AC top-ups. A 270kW peak in the cars with a 94.9kWh battery comes courtesy of the car’s 800-volt electric architecture, allowing for a 10-80 per cent charge in 21 minutes – or almost 200 miles in 10 minutes where conditions permit.

As you might expect, the Sportback’s roofline dips away sooner than the Avant’s – helping contribute to a BMW i5-beating 0.21Cd drag coefficient. That said, even the A6 wagon posts a 0.24Cd figure – fractionally better than that of a Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo.

To the rear, there’s a full-width, three-dimensional LED light bar with an illuminated four-ring Audi logo. S line cars inherit the brand’s new badging, with a small red S line square on the bootlid. A darkened diffuser element in the lower bumper completes the look.

Styling-wise, the S6 is quite restrained, with subtle badging and satin silver trim marking out the go-faster EV. The wide bodykit, flared arches and biggest wheels will be reserved for the forthcoming RS6 e-tron.

Audi A6 e-tron interior and specifications

Inside, the Q6-inspired theme continues. A curved panel joins the 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster to the 14.5-inch central touchscreen, while a separate display on the passenger side is available as an option. That separate 10.9-inch screen allows those riding shotgun to access features like media and navigation information, as well as a variety of games and video apps. Active Privacy Mode allows the passenger to view content without distracting the driver.

In addition, cars fitted with the digital door mirrors get a pair of additional screens, set within a sweeping panel that blends from the top of the dashboard into the doors. The tech already features in the Q6 and Q8 e-tron models. The A6 e-tron will also be offered with an augmented-reality head-up display, which can project mapping info onto the view ahead, as well as an electrochromic glass roof that can switch from opaque to translucent at the touch of a button.

Elsewhere, Audi has installed what it calls ‘soft wrap’ – a fabric panel that runs uninterrupted from door to door across the entire width of the dash. Audi says it creates “a homogeneous and enveloping feeling of space” – emphasising the “comfort-oriented” areas of the interior. In contrast, the “precisely designed control areas” – like those around the screens and centre console – are finished in high-gloss black to give what Audi claims is “clarity of interaction”. We’ll leave you to decide whether that is anything more than marketing hyperbole.

The A6 e-tron boasts two-stage battery regeneration, adjustable on the fly using paddles behind the steering wheel. In addition, a B-mode is available, which Audi claims “comes close to what is colloquially called the ‘one-pedal feeling’” – itself capable of sending up to 220kW of energy to the battery as the car slows. A spokesperson said: “With an anticipatory driving style, almost all deceleration can be managed without pressing the brake pedal.”

While we’ll wait until we’ve driven it to pass judgement, Audi also claims the new A6 is “particularly agile”. Adaptive air suspension is optional, and can change to “specific road conditions”, regulating the car’s ride height at four different levels. In the car’s most economical mode, the body can lower by 20mm to improve aero – optimising efficiency and extending the A6 e-tron’s range.

Audi initially offers the A6 in Sport, S Line, and Edition 1 specifications, while the S6 will get its own take on Edition 1 trim. Sport models come with 20-inch alloy wheels, a powered tailgate, acoustic glazing, and LED headlights. Unusually, though, in a practice that’s becoming increasingly common, the lights already have matrix LED technology installed, so if you wish you’d ticked that box when you ordered, it’s possible to upgrade them (for a cost, naturally) ‘over the air’ after delivery.

S line trim gets sportier styling, privacy glass, sports seats, black headlining, and a steering wheel with a flat top and bottom, while Edition 1 upgrades include 20-inch alloys, red brake calipers, black exterior trim elements, and those matrix LED lights as standard, while the front seat passenger receives the 10.9-inch MMI infotainment display mentioned earlier.

Two option packs are available: a Sound & Vision pack for £2,895 adds an augmented-reality head-up display, ‘ambient lighting plus’, Microsoft Office integration, and Bang & Olufsen audio to the Sport model, while for £3,195, the S line and Edition 1 also get speakers in the head restraints. The other pack, Sound & Vision Pack Pro, is available only on Edition 1 versions, and will set you back £5,495; it includes a panoramic sunroof with switchable transparency and digital door mirrors.