Audi Q5 Review 2026: Prices, specs and verdict

What is the Audi Q5?

The Audi Q5 is a midsize, five-seat premium SUV that, over three generations, has become one of the German brand’s most popular models.

The original Q5 arrived a few years after its closest competitor, the BMW X3, but launched in the same year as the similarly popular Volvo XC60. While the larger, seven-seat Q7 really flew out of showrooms in markets such as the US and the Middle East, the smaller Q5 was much better suited to European roads.

Fast-forward nearly two decades since the original Q5’s launch, and Audi has tougher competition – not just from the established carmakers, but from a wave of Chinese brands looking to mimic the Q5’s premium feel but at a much lower price point.

The third-generation Q5 has an all-new platform shared with the latest Audi A5, fresh technology and a greatly improved plug-in hybrid model. Is it a better buy than a BMW X3 or Volvo XC60? Our in-depth review finds out.

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Verdict: is the Audi Q5 a good car?

The Audi Q5 is a safe bet if you’re looking for a spacious and easy to live with premium midsize SUV. The engines are good, quality is generally decent and it’s great for long-distance driving.

It’s not quite the step forward we were hoping for is inside, where some of the cabin materials feel a bit lacklustre compared to the exceptionally premium old model. There’s some fiddly tech, too, and the ride could be more comfortable. This means the Q5 is a decent car, but no class leader.

Pricing, specs & rivals

Prices for the Audi Q5 start at £52,360. That’s a less than the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC’s starting price, but more expensive than the Volvo XC60 and Lexus NX.

That base price gets you Sport trim with the 2.0 TFSI quattro petrol engine, while the identically powerful 2.0 TDI quattro diesel is £54,010. The plug-in hybrid Q5 e-hybrid starts from £59,145.

Sport trim comes equipped with 19in alloys, three-zone climate control, heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, sat-nav, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, a wireless phone charging pad and an electric tailgate.

Stepping up to the Q5 S Line trim ups the base price to £54,960, upgrades the alloy wheels to 20in and adds some sportier styling additions, sports suspension, privacy glass, sports seats and sliding rear seats. It also gives you the option of adding air suspension.

The Q5 Black Edition is priced from £58,160 and, as the name suggests, gives you a black exterior styling package. It also upgrades the alloy wheel size to 21in and adds a heated steering wheel.

Topping the range is the Q5 Vorsprung, which throws in goodies such as matrix LED headlights, a panoramic glass sunroof, a Bang & Olufsen sound system upgrade and a second touchscreen for the front seat passenger.

Rivals

There are plenty of familiar competitors to the Audi Q5, but also some new entrants looking to cause an upset. The familiar rivals are the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and Lexus NX. You might also consider cars like the Range Rover Velar, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Porsche Macan.

More left-field Q5 alternatives include the Mazda CX-60, and cheaper yet better equipped Chinese newcomers such as the plug-in hybrid Omoda 9 and Jaecoo 8. Don’t forget the Renault Rafale, too, which doesn’t have a premium badge but does have plenty of style and gadgets.

Interior comfort, quality & technology

The Q5’s interior design will be familiar to anyone who’s driven a new Audi in the past couple of years. There’s a wraparound dashboard, a large dual-screen bezel in front of the driver and plenty of soft-touch materials.

Most of the key touchpoints feel solid and built to last, which you’d expect of an Audi. However, previous generation Audis have always had exceptional attention to detail, and in places – like the lower areas of the dash and air vents – things aren’t as posh-feeling as they used to be.

There’s also a fair amount of hard, glossy black plastic that’s prone to fingerprints and scratches. Meanwhile, the touch-sensitive control pads for the lights, mirrors and steering wheel feel a bit cheap and wobbly. We’re also missing the physical climate controls that were very tactile and nice to use in the old Q5.

That’s a shame, but a drop in material quality is also evident in the latest BMW X3. Audi also nails the fundamentals, with a superb driving position that’s comfortable and widely adjustable. There’s also good visibility all-round thanks to well-designed pillars and good-sized rear and side windows.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Every Q5 features a curved 14.5in touchscreen combined with an 11.9in drivers display in a single bezel. The driver’s display is clear and configurable, but the available dial layouts are slightly fussy visually at a glance.

The central touchscreen, though, is well thought out, with quick responses to inputs, clear graphics, and customisable widgets for your favourite functions. There are a few small icons that are a bit tricky to hit while driving, but on the whole it’s easier to use than the systems in many new Chinese brand alternatives.

Opting for top-spec Vorsprung trim gives you a second 10.9in touchscreen for the front-seat passenger. It replaces a rather unsightly bit of gloss black plastic and lets the passenger control many of the infotainment functions, while also allowing video streaming.

That second screen is polarised, so the driver can’t view it on their side. Nevertheless, we still think passenger screens are a bit of a gimmick when smartphones can stream video perfectly well.

As well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there is a wireless phone charging pad and four USB-C ports evenly split between the front and rear seats.

The standard audio system in the Q5 has eight speakers and delivers decent enough sound quality for most people. Vorsprung trim throws in a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system that’s punchy and clear for those who want top-level music reproduction.

How practical is the Audi Q5?

The Audi Q5’s dimensions of 4,717mm in length, 1,900mm in width (excluding mirrors) and 1,641mm in height make it slightly smaller in every dimension than the BMW X3, but a bit larger than a Lexus NX.

It isn’t substantially roomier than the old Q5 inside, but then it didn’t need to be. There’s plenty of space up front for two large adults to get comfortable, and enough cabin width to avoid banging elbows.

In the rear you’ll find comfortable seating for two adults, or three at a push. Leg space is good and there’s plenty of room for sliding your feet under the front seats, but headroom is a touch restricted for the very tall (6ft 3 and over). Sport trim misses out on sliding and reclining rear seats, but they are standard on all other trims.

It’s a shame that the very high centre tunnel means the middle seat is better for children than it has adults. But you do get ISOFIX mounting points in both outer rear seats as well as one in the front passenger seat, which is good. The rear doors open nice and wide to help you fit those child seats, too.

Storage and boot space

There’s plenty of cabin storage in the front of the Audi Q5. That includes a good-sized glovebox with premium felt lining, big door bins, a useful cubby space under the adjustable centre armrest and a couple of cupholders that don’t get in the way of the gear selector. There’s also a tiny secret cubby under the steering wheel.

In the rear you’ll find generous nets on the front seatbacks, door bins that can take large water bottles and a centre armrest with cupholders (it’s a shame these aren’t covered as passengers’ elbows fall into them).

The rear seatbacks fold in a practical 40/20/40 split. You can also do that in the X3, but the XC60 and NX only have a 60/40 split, meaning loading long items comes at the expense of a second rear passenger.

The Q5’s boot capacity is 520 litres, which is okay by class standards: better than an XC60, but behind the X3’s 570-litre boot and dwarfed by the 620 litres of the Mercedes-Benz GLC.

Q5s with the Bang & Olufsen sound system lose a bit of capacity to the subwoofer under the boot floor, while the Q5 e-hybrid drops to 438 litres – that’s typical of plug-in hybrids.

The boot is a nice square shape and has no load lip, with a bit of underfloor storage. You can also fold the seats via boot-mounted levers.

Performance & drive: What is the Audi Q5 like on the road?

Like many brands Audi has reduced the choice of engines available in the latest Q5, but at least that makes choosing simple. All versions also feature quattro all-wheel drive, too, and a smooth-shifting (if not super-fast) seven-speed automatic gearbox.

Most private buyers opt for the entry-level 204hp 2.0 TFSI petrol engine. It’s smooth enough and reasonably swift as long as you’re prepared to use the rev range.

Also available is a 2.0 TDI diesel with an identical 204hp output. It’s fractionally slower to accelerate on paper, but in the real world it feels more muscular because it has more low-down torque. Combined with the diesel’s decent refinement and fuel economy advantage, it’s our pick of the base engines.

Both the 2.0 TSI and 2.0 TDI have a 48-volt mild hybrid system that’s a bit more useful than older systems. Its relatively large 1.7kWh battery means it can power the car along at low speeds with the engine off, aiding fuel consumption and refinement in town.

The Audi Q5 e-Hybrid, meanwhile, is well worth looking at providing you can charge it up easily. It uses the 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine, mated to an electric motor within the gearbox, powering all four wheels. It’s noticeably quicker than the standard petrol, as well as being smoother in electric-only mode. It also has two regenerative braking settings and an adaptive regen mode.

Topping the range is the SQ5, which uses a 3.0 twin-turbo V6 putting out 367hp. It’s satisfyingly rapid, sounds good and, we think, negates the need for an even faster and more hardcore RSQ5.

Power, 0-62mph times

• Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro: 204hp / 7.2 seconds
• Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro: 204hp / 7.4 seconds
• Audi Q5 e-hybrid quattro: 299hp / 6.2 seconds
• Audi SQ5: 367hp / 4.5 seconds

Ride and handling

The Q5’s biggest dynamic strength is that it’s easy and confidence-inspiring to drive. It’s not outstandingly comfortable nor is it razor sharp in the bends, but it’s an acceptable compromise between the two.

That’s particularly the case if you splash out for the optional air suspension. It’s upset by low speed bumps a bit more than we’d like for a premium SUV, but it’s very controlled at higher speeds without being too floaty.

Sport models come as standard with ‘comfort’ suspension, which blends with the smaller wheels to give a decently plush ride. S-Line and Black Edition models come with sports suspension giving a firmer ride. They get a bit thumpy on poorly surfaced urban roads, but the trade-off is tight body control at higher speeds.

Otherwise, every Q5 has loads of grip thanks to the quattro all-wheel drive system, while the steering is accurate. A BMW X3 is more engaging on the right road and a Volvo XC60 is more comfortable, but the Q5 strikes a reasonable balance.

Noise and refinement

The Audi Q5 is one of the quieter cars in its class, with low levels of wind and road noise bettering the BMW X3. The e-Hybrid is naturally very relaxing when cruising about town in electric mode, too.

Having said that, its petrol engine (and the base 2.0 TFSI) can be a bit vocal under hard acceleration for what is far from a sporty car to drive. The diesel is actually a little quieter as a result. The SQ5, meanwhile, makes all the right noises when you want it to.

Euro NCAP: is the Audi Q5 a safe car?

The Audi Q5 was awarded the maximum five-star crash test rating by Euro NCAP in 2025, putting it among the safest SUVs in its class.

Its category scores are broadly similar to rivals like the BMW X3, with no major criticism from Euro NCAP in any area.

In terms of standard safety aids, you get the usual autonomous emergency braking, speed limit alert, driver attention monitoring and blind spot monitoring. Adaptive cruise control is standard, too.

There’s also front cross-traffic alert, but a rear system is optional, as is a safe exit alert to prevent ‘dooring’ of cyclists.

Running costs and fuel economy

The Q5 puts in a decent enough showing in terms of fuel economy, but it doesn’t stand out compared to rivals – particularly in plug-in hybrid form.

The 2.0 TFSI petrol delivers a respectable 40.4mpg in the WLTP combined cycle, beating equivalents from Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. Full hybrid alternatives such as the Lexus NX350h do far better, however.

The Lexus even beats the 2.0 TDI diesel Q5, which manages 47mpg combined in official figures. That’s not bad given the performance, but a GLC 220d is slightly more frugal.

Audi Q5 e-Hybrid: fuel economy, charging and range

If you really want to sip fuel (and, importantly, can charge up at home or work) then the Q5 e-hybrid is the one to go for. It boasts a range on a charge of up to 62 miles, which is more than an X3 30e but less than a GLC 300e.

Strangely, the Q5’s hybrid system won’t allow DC charging from public rapid chargers, which is possible on the smaller Q3 e-hybrid. It’ll charge from full to empty in under four hours using a three-phase AC supply, however.

The Q5 e-hybrid’s official fuel consumption of 111.3mpg is also oddly conservative for a plug-in hybrid. A Lexus NX450+ or X3 30 e boast over twice that officially, while the equivalents from Mercedes-Benz and Jaecoo promise over 500mpg.

Of course, that’s in official testing and only for comparison purposes – you’ll only achieve anywhere near that by barely using the petrol engine. But the e-hybrid’s CO2 figure of 58g/km puts it in a much higher company car tax bracket than those rivals, which is a big deal for such a fleet-focused car.

How much does the Audi Q5 cost to insure?

The Audi Q5 isn’t going to be the cheapest SUV to insure given its premium position and price, but its insurance groups are competitive with key rivals.

The cheapest Q5 to insure is the 2.0 TFSI petrol sitting in insurance group 37 in Sport trim, with the diesel in group 38. The Q5 e-hybrid sits in group 43.

Pricier trim levels are one or two groups higher across the board. Those groups are slightly higher than the BMW X3 but lower than the Mercedes-Benz GLC.