Audi A6 Avant e-tron Full Review: A Game-Changing Take on the Estate?
Join Vicki Butler-Henderson as she takes the wheel of the Audi A6 Avant e-tron – the all-electric estate that combines sleek design, cutting-edge tech, and up to 437 miles of range.
Built on the same Premium Platform Electric as the Porsche Macan, this Avant adds extra practicality with a 1,422-litre maximum boot, a 27-litre frunk, and a towing capacity of 2,100kg. Its ultra-slippery 0.24 drag coefficient, OLED lighting, flush door handles, and optional virtual mirrors all work to maximise efficiency and give it a modern, high-tech edge.
Inside, there’s a panoramic curved display, premium materials, and more driver assistance systems than you might ever need – but is the tech genuinely useful, or just overwhelming? Performance comes from a rear-mounted motor delivering 380hp and 565Nm, good for 0–62mph in 5.4 seconds, while Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, developed with Audi, aim to keep things composed.
With long-distance comfort, sharp handling, and one of the best electric ranges for any estate, could the A6 Avant e-tron be the game-changer that finally makes the electric estate mainstream?
Specifications
• Battery Range: Maximum combined range of 437 miles
• Charging Speed: 10-80% in 21 minutes
• Boot Capacity: 502 litres
• Price: Starting at approximately £65,000
• Power: 380 bhp and 565 nm/t
• Acceleration: 0-62 mph in 5.4 seconds
Exterior Design & Features
We will begin this review by introducing a unit of measurement that is new to the channel: the drag coefficient. The Audi A6 Avant e-tron achieves an impressive figure of 0.24, but the Sportback version outperforms it with an even more impressive drag coefficient of 0.21. However, both are beaten by the current aerodynamic leader, the Mercedes-Benz EQS saloon. For those of you who are interested in the vehicle with the best drag coefficient rating, it is the albatross at 0.02.
Returning to the car's appearance, the new front grille features slim digital daytime running lights at the top and main matrix LEDs underneath, with air gaps on each side. The door handles are flush and don't move as the mechanism is inside them, adding to the drag coefficient of 0.24. Body contouring runs down each side of the car, and the new wing mirror design is a huge talking point. These are actually cameras, and you can see what they capture on screens inside the car. While these wing mirrors might be more aerodynamic than traditional glass ones, it would take some getting used to. We would love to know your opinions on these camera wing mirrors. Do you like them or not? Let us know in the comments section on our YouTube video!
The low-sloping roofline adds to the car's sleek look, giving it more of a coupé feel. There isn't a huge colour palette to choose from, and the colour you see in our video review is called 'Plasma Blue', costing nearly £800. You'll also notice that the A6 Avant e-tron has a black styling package, meaning the Audi rings are finished in anthracite grey. The OLED brake lights around the back are made from flexible material and have faster response times than LEDs. To top it all off, the Audi rings at the rear illuminate, too.
A review of an estate car wouldn't be complete without discussing the boot, which is a key feature for most prospective buyers. Interestingly, when the rear seats are upright, there is no additional space compared to the Sportback. Both models offer a minimum of 502 litres of space, and folding the rear seats down gives you access to 1,422 litres — 92 more than the Sportback's maximum. It's worth noting that the BMW i5 offers an additional 278 litres of space if this is an important feature for you.
Wheel & Tyre Talk
When it comes to wheels, the entry-level A6 e-tron comes with 20-inch alloy wheels, but the model we are reviewing has 21-inch black metallic wheels. These are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, which were developed in collaboration with Audi, as indicated by the AO marking on the sidewall.
Michelin says that the tyre provides confident handling, even at high speeds, and offers good wet grip for optimal safety, both when new and when worn. The Pilot Sport EV has achieved an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on DriverReviews.
Interior Design & Features
The A6 Avant e-tron represents the pinnacle of premium quality. Its dashboard is designed with a combination of soft-touch sections, glossy finishes, and brushed aluminium with a matte finish. The seats are also finished in a similar stitched material. Given that the car is an EV fully loaded with technology, it is surprising that the steering column and leg support are both manually adjustable. Perhaps Audi decided against automating these features in order to save weight?
The curved panoramic display is made up of one piece, divided between a virtual cockpit for the driver and a touchscreen for everyone else. The screen is easy to use and has a reassuring clicking sound to let you know that your input has been received. A more common feature in recent cars is a touchscreen for passengers to control the infotainment and navigation. The A6 e-tron comes with a host of safety features and driving assistance systems. If you need help while on the move and can't access what you need via the screen, you can simply ask the on-board assistant for assistance.
The premium feel of the cabin continues with a head-up display and wireless phone charging. There is also the option of a £2,300 panoramic roof which can be made opaque at the touch of a button, and which can put on a nice display. Vicki says that, in the back, the quality of the A6 e-tron's interior is undeniable. The back of the seats are curved to provide extra leg and knee room, and there are hooks for jackets and clothes hangers. However, the middle seat is quite raised, so if you are a family of five, someone will inevitably be less comfortable on longer journeys.
On-Road Driving: Range & Performance
The car is built on a platform developed in a joint venture between Audi and its sister brand, Porsche. It has been given the abbreviation PPE, which stands for 'Premium Platform Electric'. The only other car currently sharing this platform is the Porsche Macan Electric. If you would like to read our review of it, click here. The Avant has the largest battery in the range, with a 100-kilowatt-hour unit — the same size as those found in a Macan and a Tesla Model S — and can travel 50 miles further between charges. The official combined figure for this estate car is 437 miles, which puts it in a small but growing group of EVs with game-changing range.
The top speed is limited to 130 mph to preserve range as much as possible, and it goes from 0 to 62 mph in 5.4 seconds. If that's not fast enough for you, there's also the S6 e-tron, which can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in under 4 seconds. It has 380 horsepower, 565 Newton metres of torque and one electric motor on the rear axle, making this car a rear-wheel-drive machine. However, even with the traction control off, it's not possible to slide the rear around as you can in the Porsche Taycan.
Vicki’s Verdict
"Its fit and finish is so good, its road manners are so polite that its biggest worry is that it will leave a similar impression on you as it does the air. Very little".
Vicki tells us that she pays attention when an EV can travel over 400 miles on a single charge, and rightly so, as only a handful of EVs can do that. However, although the virtual wing mirrors are optional, Vicki says she is not a fan, so she would probably opt for the Sound and Vision Pack rather than the Sound and Vision Pack Pro, which has virtual wing mirrors but lacks the panoramic glass roof with switchable transparency.
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