2025 Audi Q6 e-tron Road Test and Review

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

When Audi built its first electric luxury SUV, it was still a novelty. The 2019 Audi e-tron faced just two competitors – the Tesla Model X with swing-up doors and the low-slung Jaguar I-Pace. 

These days, nearly every luxury carmaker has many electric SUVs, to say nothing of EV-only brands like Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and Polestar. And Audi’s newest entry – the 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron – is one of three electric SUVs in its lineup. It slots between the compact Q4 e-tron and the mid-size Q8 e-tron (an updated, renamed version of the 2019 original). 

Priced from $63,800, the Q6 e-tron follows its stablemates’ formula: the benefits of an EV but with the familiar style and flavor of a gas-powered Audi. And it applies this strategy to a right-sized SUV that’s bigger and faster than the Q4 but much less expensive than the recently discontinued Q8. We just spent a week testing the new Q6 e-tron to learn about its pros and cons. Keep reading as we go through all the details to see if this is the right electric luxury SUV for you. 

Up to 321 Miles per Charge

Many folks’ first question about any EV is how far it can go on a charge. The Q6 e-tron has an EPA-estimated range of 298 to 321 miles per charge with rear-wheel drive (depending on wheel size). Unlike with many EVs, all-wheel-drive models give up little range, traveling between 295 and 319 miles. That’s better than most competitors, including AWD (though not rear-drive) versions of the best-selling Tesla Model Y. Our AWD test vehicle was on track to travel 312 miles in our weeklong test, beating its 295-mile EPA estimate. A higher-performance model called the SQ6 travels an estimated 283 miles per charge. Efficiency ranges from 91 MPGe to 104 MPGe across the Q6 lineup; that’s also impressive for a powerful luxury SUV, though the Model Y drinks less juice.

You can recharge the Q6 e-tron’s battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in a speedy 21 minutes using the best DC fast chargers. You can also fully recharge in 13 hours using a 240-volt car charger, like you’d install in your garage or find in some public charging stations. That’s the more cost-effective way to charge. As with other EVs, fast-charging the Q6 often costs as much as buying gasoline; however, owners who can charge at home will typically pay much less. 

Audi conveniently provides a charging port on either side of the Q6 e-tron, so it’ll reach your garage’s charging cable wherever you park. However, when you use DC fast charging, you’re limited to the driver’s side. The Q6 e-tron uses a CCS charging port, rather than the Tesla-style NACS. Audi expects to access Tesla’s Supercharger network via an adapter later this year. 

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Up to 509 Horsepower

The Q6 e-tron’s efficiency is all the more impressive when you consider its power. As with most EVs, it delivers snappy, near-silent acceleration. Rear-drive models make 302 horsepower and can cruise to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. Selecting the launch control function temporarily boosts output to 322 hp. AWD adds an extra electric motor that increases power to 422 hp (456 hp with launch control), and it needs just 4.9 seconds to hit 60 mph. The SQ6 makes 483 hp (509 hp with launch control) and takes 4.1 seconds to reach 60 mph.

The Audi isn’t the absolute fastest electric SUV. But it’s effortlessly quick, and AWD models can rival a sports car’s speed. It also has a gentle throttle tip-in, meaning it feels just as natural to glide along smoothly as it does to blast forward at full speed. 

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Smooth Ride and Agile Handling

As with the Q6 e-tron’s acceleration, this SUV’s suspension is engineered for smooth, easy driving. It’s quiet and composed rather than wild fun. Audi keeps things taut rather than soft and squishy. This is still a sporty-feeling ride. But light, fluid steering makes it easy to drive more than hyper-responsive. 

You can make some adjustments to the car’s throttle, steering, and suspension by changing the Q6 e-tron’s driving modes. But we think it feels most natural in its standard setting. This SUV works better as a luxury ride than a crazy performance machine, and the standard setting emphasizes that strength with low-effort steering and the smoothest ride. Our tested Prestige model includes an air suspension and acoustic glass for maximum isolation. 

The SQ6 e-tron has a stiffer suspension and bigger brakes to go with its extra power. But we still think this Audi does best when it tries to lower your pulse rate rather than raise it. Driving enthusiasts would likely prefer its corporate cousin, the Porsche Macan EV. 

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Familiar Audi Looks, Minus a Grille

The Q6 e-tron is slightly larger than Audi’s best-selling gas-powered SUV, the compact Q5. But the two models look pretty similar. They share slim lights and a conservatively upright profile, nothing like a pod-like Tesla or Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. 

The only visual cue that the Q6 e-tron is an electric car is its grille – or, rather, its lack thereof. But even this isn’t instantly obvious. The Q6 has a conventionally shaped outline of an Audi grille. But instead of a mesh opening to allow airflow, the Q6 e-tron has a patterned piece of solid plastic. Swaths of blacked-out bumper trim below the headlights add some visual interest on lighter-colored Q6 e-trons (go with a darker paint color if you’re not a fan of the look). You can get the Q6 e-tron in a traditional SUV shape like our test vehicle or an “SUV coupe” called the Sportback, whose roof tapers down toward the rear end. Audi has the same choice of body styles on the gas-powered Q5.

So the Q6 e-tron is a luxury SUV for someone who likes the look of a regular Audi SUV, not someone who wants their electric car to look different from other vehicles. 

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Screens Galore

Looking at a photo of the Q6 e-tron’s interior, your first impression is screens. Not one big screen like you’d see in a Tesla, but screens everywhere. One display includes the 11.9-inch digital gauge cluster plus a 14.5-inch central touchscreen. And our test vehicle includes an optional 10.9-inch touchscreen in front of the passenger. 

Inside the car, the experience is more cohesive. The main display curves around the driver and lets you select conventional-looking gauge dials in their conventional spot behind the steering wheel. And the passenger-side touchscreen, tucked off to the side, is practically invisible from the driver’s seat. 

The Q6 e-tron isn’t our favorite Audi interior of all time. It has too few physical controls; this not only makes it harder to use some functions, but also robs the car of the meticulous precision we’ve long enjoyed in Audi’s buttons and knobs. Even the door panel gets a fussy panel of touch-sensitive controls. Ample use of piano-black trim is also a dated styling cue. 

But otherwise, the Q6 e-tron’s cabin is well-crafted from high-quality materials. And while we can nitpick some of Audi’s ergonomic choices, it’s a conventional cabin in ways that too many EVs aren’t. The speedometer isn’t hidden away on a big center screen. Compared with some electric vehicles, the turn signals, cruise control, and gear selections are a cinch. And you can link up your phone’s apps using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.   

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Reasonably Roomy With Lots of Amenities

Though the Q6 e-tron is smaller than its Q8 e-tron sibling, you don’t really feel that inside. Both of these luxury SUVs are comfortable and snug without being cramped, whether you’re sitting in the front seats or in the back. A few rivals have more rear legroom, though. We did repeatedly re-lock the car while trying to unlock and open the door; we expect owners would eventually commit this process to muscle memory, but it would be nice to have the door open with no fuss at all. 

The Q6 e-tron comes with a long list of comfort amenities. Even the base Premium model ($63,800) includes genuine leather upholstery, heated front seats, memory settings for the power driver’s seat, and tri-zone automatic climate control. The $68,600 Premium Plus gives you a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats (along with a 20-speaker Bang & Olufson stereo), plus the option to pay another $1,300 for ventilated front seats. The top Prestige like our test vehicle, $70,600, brings the air suspension and passenger-side touchscreen. 

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Useful Cargo Hold

The Q6 e-tron has 30.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 60.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. That’s not amazing, but it’s a useful and competitive amount of space. And it’s more room than you got in the Q8 e-tron. The rear seat drops in a handy 40-20-40 split, maximizing your flexibility as you juggle people and cargo. 

Audi also provides a tiny 2.3-cubic-foot front trunk, or “frunk,” under the Q6’s hood. It could be a good place to hide a purse or keep a bag of apples from rolling around the cargo hold, but it’s barely half the size of a Tesla Model Y’s frunk – and a non-removable divider further limits the size of your cargo. 

The Q6 e-tron is rated to tow up to 4,400 pounds. Many EVs aren’t rated to tow at all. Just know that a trailer would cut sharply into your electric range. 

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Q6 vs. the Competition

The Q6 e-tron faces a host of high-end efficient competitors. Setting aside the Tesla Model Y for now (we’ll come back to it), its top rivals include the Acura ZDX, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq, Lexus RZ, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, and Polestar 3. 

The Q6 delivers the serene, steady comfort of the iX and EQE for much less money – but it’s also less spacious and, versus the BMW, less fun to drive. Nor does it look as distinctive as most of the others. The Lexus is smooth and quiet for less money than the Audi, but at least for now, it has much less range per charge. The Polestar has livelier handling without giving up a smooth ride, but its controls are even more frustrating to use than the Audi’s. 

Then there’s the Model Y, which is a best-seller for a reason. A recent update gave it a smoother ride and better interior materials, which complement its long range, well-sorted infotainment, spacious interior, and powerful motors with aggressive pricing. The Q6 e-tron remains more opulent, and many folks will welcome its more traditional look and feel. But the Tesla remains the EV to beat in many ways. 

2025 Polestar 3 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Luxury That’s Electric

The 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron is a luxury car first and a slick, spiffy EV second. It looks and drives like a conventional Audi SUV, except quicker, quieter, and more economical. It’s the same niche that the Q8 e-tron filled, except for a lot more money than the Q6 now costs. 

The Q6 e-tron’s ergonomic foibles aren’t because it’s an electric car, but they’re still frustrating. And at these prices, some buyers will want more presence – especially if they’ve chosen a traditional luxury brand over a Tesla. But if you like its conventional appearance and value an ultra-smooth driving experience, the Q6 e-tron has the range and performance to stand up to many fine competitors.  

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron ・ Photo by Brady Holt