Audi levels up its EV game with the A6 e-tron but still makes unforced errors

Audi developed a good reputation among car enthusiasts and engineering nerds with its all-wheel drive systems and the motorsports success they wrought, but it was premium sedans like the A6 that took the brand mainstream. Now, the Audi A6 is getting an all-electric makeover.

Scheduled to reach the United States next year, the 2025 Audi A6 e-tron uses a familiar name to draw attention to Audi’s latest and greatest EV hardware. It shares the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) with the Audi Q6 e-tron SUV, with greater efficiency and charging capability than Audi’s first-generation EVs. But like the gasoline A6, the e-tron will still compete against sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, in this case the i5 and EQE, respectively.

While the U.S. launch is still a few months out, Audi staged a global media drive for the A6 e-tron in Tenerife, part of the sun-soaked Canary Islands. The base single-motor rear-wheel drive A6 e-tron and the range-topping dual-motor all-wheel drive S6 e-tron were on hand to test, but Audi will also offer a mid-level dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro model when this electric car appears on this side of the Atlantic.

2025 Audi A6 e-tron: design

The A6 e-tron updates Audi’s signature look for the electric era. While it’s no longer necessary, a big shield-like grille (what Audi calls the Singleframe) remains. But, in the reverse of traditional internal-combustion car design norms, it’s body-color with the surrounding area blacked out. This also hides the basic rectangles that serve as the A6’s headlights, drawing more attention to the stylized daytime running lights above.

While it uses a low-floor version of the PPE architecture to give it true sedan proportions, the A6 e-tron is still more upright and formal looking than Audi’s other electric sedan, the e-tron GT. But that’s in keeping with the A6’s role as a more traditional premium-sedan counterpart to the performance-focused GT. This styling also gives the Audi a more stately appearance than the wonky-looking BMW i5 and likely won’t invite as much controversy as the lozenge-like silhouette of the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan.

Audi even got fairly close to the Mercedes’ low drag coefficient (Cd) — an important metric for EVs as aerodynamics play a greater role in overall efficiency than in combustion cars. U.S.-spec versions of the A6 e-tron have a Cd of 0.23, compared to 0.22 for the EQE, and European models come in even lower thanks in part to the use of camera pods instead of exterior mirrors. The closeness is more apparent from the inside, where the A6’s steeply-raked front roof pillar forces a seating position far away from the windshield, while a tiny rear window limits visibility in that direction. Audi did at least find room for 26 cubic feet of trunk space — more than a BMW i5 — plus a small frunk with 0.9 cubic feet of storage space.

Like BMW, Audi also gave the A6 e-tron a curved dashboard display, but here, the interior seems to have been truly designed around it. The dashboard has a prominent peak in its center to accommodate the display’s curve, a detail that’s repeated in the angular shape of the door panels. Audi also gave the A6 e-tron a squared-off steering wheel that makes it easier to see the oversized instrument cluster. These elements add visual interest, but they can’t camouflage interior materials that seem below this car’s station. Our S6 e-tron test car had nice bucket seats and microfiber trim, but even that didn’t compensate for taxicab-grade plastic elsewhere in the cabin.

2025 Audi A6 e-tron: specs

2025 Audi A6 e-tron: tech

Audi continues to follow the current auto industry trend of crowding the dashboard with screens. A curved dashboard display consists of an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch touchscreen placed side-by-side in the same housing, with a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. The infotainment system uses an Android-based operating system, but both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still included.

This isn’t the first car to feature a curved display or a third screen, but this is the first application where they work together well. Both the instrument cluster and main touchscreen are perfectly positioned; I barely needed to tilt my head to glance from one to the other, and I didn’t need to reach at all to use the touchscreen. This means the curved display is tilted away from the front passenger, though, making their screen actually useful. The front-passenger screen also has a privacy mode to prevent driver distraction.

Audi also includes native voice recognition with ChatGPT integration, but even with the added chatbot, it proved less reliable than Mercedes’ benchmark system. It required specific wording to comprehend requests, such as opening the driver-assist menu, that often made it easier to just use the touchscreen. Audi’s software engineers also seemed to have less of a sense of humor than their counterparts at Mercedes. When prompted, that automaker’s voice assistant will respond with some (admittedly corny) jokes, while Audi’s is left shrugging its virtual shoulders.

In Europe, the A6 e-tron will also be available with digital sideview mirrors and adaptive matrix headlights, but only the latter feature is a real loss. Adaptive lighting can redirect light beams instantly to help avoid blinding oncoming drivers, but the primary benefit of replacing exterior mirrors with cameras is a slight dip in aerodynamic drag. And there likely won’t be a difference between the U.S. and other markets in driver-assist feature content.

2025 Audi A6 e-tron: driving experience

Driving a luxury sedan at a vacation destination like Tenerife isn’t exactly a tough day at the office, but even in that glamorous environment, it took the right set of circumstances for the A6 e-tron to truly shine.

I started out in the most powerful S6 e-tron version. This dual-motor all-wheel drive model produces 543 horsepower, which will get it from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, Audi estimates. That makes the Audi just as quick as a BMW i5 M60 despite a 50-hp deficit and just 0.5 seconds behind a Mercedes-AMG EQE despite being down 74 hp to that car. S6 models also have a higher top speed of 149 mph, compared to 130 mph for A6 models.

On the tight, twisty roads where the day’s driving began, though, the S6 didn’t feel nearly as capable as the spec sheet suggests. Audi reserves the RS badge for its true performance models, but S models have traditionally had more than a hint of sportiness. In this S6, though, the only hint of that was air-suspension tuning that was too firm to be truly comfortable yet still couldn’t cope with this car’s mass. The steering was also loose and imprecise, requiring bus-like levels of input to get the nose pointed in the right direction and then multiple corrections mid-corner to keep it that way.

I was quite frankly happy to hand the S6 e-tron off to another driver after my first stint, but things improved with a second run on a different stretch of road further away from Tenerife’s coast in the surreal environment of Teide National Park. As the road climbed toward the dormant volcano Mt. Teide, through a desert landscape that would make a great location for a sci-fi movie, it unkinked itself into fast sweepers and long straightaways where the S6 showed what it can really do. Its previous clumsiness was replaced by poise as the big sedan glided from corner to corner and blasted down the straights. On a road like this — or, it’s easy to imagine, a German autobahn — it’s great.

That the S6 e-tron is a more high-speed cruiser than a sports sedan also makes it redundant, though. I also got to spend some time behind the wheel of a single-motor rear-wheel drive A6 e-tron, which in the U.S. will make 375 hp, getting it from zero to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds — quicker than single-motor versions of the BMW i5 or Mercedes EQE. This version was still plenty quick and more pleasant to drive in a wider array of situations. Its suspension allowed more body roll but was also more compliant, giving the A6 a more comfortable ride. And while the steering was still disappointing, the front end felt more eager to turn when entering tight corners. That makes the single-motor A6 e-tron my preferred choice for now. Audi is also bringing a dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro variant to the U.S. that, with 456 hp and a 4.3-second zero-to-60 mph time, splits the difference between the two versions made available for this test drive.

Regardless of the number of motors and their state of tune, A6 e-tron models also feature the latest version of Audi’s regenerative braking system. Engineers dial higher levels of regeneration, but the A6 e-tron still falls short of true one-pedal driving. That’s OK, though, because of the excellent blending of regenerative and friction braking. Unlike some other EVs, the A6 e-tron will actually continue to recover energy even when the brake pedal is pressed, but that process is completely opaque. Audi also provides multiple levels of regeneration so drivers can adjust to fit their style.

2025 Audi A6 e-tron: range and charging

All A6 e-tron models have a 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack with 94.4 kWh of usable capacity. That’s pretty big, but Audi also expects it to return big-range numbers. Official ratings won’t be available until closer to the A6 e-tron’s U.S. launch, but Audi estimates 370 miles for the single-motor version and up to 390 miles with an optional Ultra spec that includes smaller 19-inch wheels. If that holds up, the Audi will have a clear advantage over the rival BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE, which currently max out at 295 miles and 308 miles, respectively.

The estimated range dips to 333 miles for the dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro and 324 miles for the more powerful S6 e-tron, but this still shows a clear improvement in efficiency over Audi’s first-generation EVs. This is one area where the advantages of the new PPE architecture are apparent.

The other is charging. PPE incorporates an 800-volt electrical architecture like what Audi previously used in the e-tron GT, which allows for faster charging. The A6 e-tron is capable of DC fast-charging at up to 270 kilowatts, which can accomplish a 10% to 80% charge in 21 minutes or recover 135 miles of range after 10 minutes of charging, according to Audi. The automaker claims to have maintained the flat charging curve of its previous EVs, ensuring maximum power as long as possible while providing more power at the start of charging to help drivers get the most out of quick-charge stop.

2025 Audi A6 e-tron: How DT would configure this car

Right now, it doesn’t really seem necessary to upgrade from the base single-motor A6 e-tron. It’s plenty quick, has by far the most range, and is likely to be the least-expensive version. The dual-motor A6 e-tron quattro should satisfy buyers who need all-wheel drive, while the S6 e-tron doesn’t really do enough to justify its elevated status in the lineup.

Final pricing information will be released closer to the A6 e-tron’s U.S. launch, but Audi will have to aim for a base price under $80,000 to put this sedan in the same ballpark as the rival BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE. The Audi looks and feels the most like a traditional luxury sedan, but the BMW aims for sportier driving dynamics, while the Mercedes has a nicer interior. The single-motor Lucid Air Pure will also likely be in the same price range, offering a pleasant and engaging driving experience with up to 402 miles of range.

And while Audi has put a lot of effort into design, efficiency, and charging, other areas of the A6 e-tron — like chassis tuning and interior materials — feel undercooked. That’s going to make this luxury EV a tougher sell than it perhaps should be, whether it’s compared to all-electric rivals or Audi’s own gasoline models.