Audi Q6 e-tron Prototype Review 2024

It's too early to deliver a full verdict on the Audi Q6 e-tron but, if you're in the market for a premium electric SUV, you might not want to part with your cash just yet. The Audi Q6 e-tron promises to be a very desirable family car with a well-finished interior and potentially class-leading refinement. Don't expect it to be a cheap electric car but it could be one of the best.

The initial Audi Q6 e-tron line-up will be limited. The full line-up of trim levels is yet to be confirmed, but expect to choose between the Q6 e-tron quattro and the SQ6 e-tron. We'd probably recommend the former - not least because the SQ6 will be an extra £24,000.

The Audi Q6 e-tron is squaring up against the Tesla Model Y, Mercedes EQC and BMW iX3. You may also want to consider the bigger Audi Q8 e-tron (or simply Audi e-tron, as it was originally known) or the smaller Audi Q4 e-tron. If you're not ready for an electric car, the Audi Q5 is a family SUV available with petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power.

There are plenty of high-quality, soft-touch materials, while all the operating areas are in high-gloss black so they’re clear and easy to use.

Eco-friendly materials are available in the new Audi Q6 e-tron, such as Elastic Melange, made from 100% recycled polyester. It wraps the dashboard and is also available for the seats.

The centrepiece of the Audi Q6 e-tron's interior is a sculpted free-standing curved display which includes the driver display and centre touchscreen infotainment screen. As an added extra, there is an additional front passenger display, too.

The ‘digital stage’ of the new Audi Q6 e-tron comprises an 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit driver display, and a 14.5-inch MMI touchscreen display. Below it, there’s ambient lighting designed to make it appear to ‘float’ at night. An optional augmented reality head-up display is also available for the driver.

Front seat passengers in the new Audi Q6 e-tron have their own 10.9-inch MMI display. This has a privacy mode so they can watch movies without disturbing the driver. It also means passengers can help set the sat nav for the driver – although this is an optional extra. Standard models have a gloss black panel instead.

The Audi Q6 e-tron measures 1648mm in height, 4771mm in length and 1939mm in width. That means it's roughly the same size as the Audi Q5 family SUV, although that PPE platform means it actually feels a bit more spacious inside. There's no transmission tunnel, for example, so there's lots of legroom in the back while even the rear middle-seat passenger will feel relatively comfortable.

The new Audi Q6 e-tron has an ample 526-litre boot, which expands to a healthy 1529 litres with the rear seats folded – they are split 40:20:40. There is an additional 64-litre front boot, or ‘frunk’, which is perfect for storing charging cables.

Two variations of the Audi Q6 e-tron will initially be offered in the UK: the regular Q6 e-tron quattro, as well as the sportier Audi SQ6 e-tron. Both use a pair of electric motors (meaning the Audi Q6 e-tron gets all-wheel drive) powered by a huge 100kWh battery pack.

Both models will be fairly quick off the line - the standard car accelerates to 62mph in 5.9 seconds while the SQ6 takes 4.3 seconds. Top speeds are 130mph and 142mph respectively.

When it first goes on sale, the Audi Q6 e-tron will have an official range of around 388 miles. That's more than the longest-range variants of the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E, making the Q6 e-tron a very desirable choice for anyone who wishes to travel long distances.

There'll be more Audi Q6 e-tron models added to the range in the future - potentially including an even more efficient rear-wheel drive model, as well as a lower-powered single-motor version with a slightly smaller 83kWh battery pack.

While most electric cars are very quiet, you'll usually hear a bit of a whine from the motors. Audi says it's developed the Q6 e-tron to be one of the quietest, most relaxing SUVs on the market - and our initial drive suggests it's succeeded. Even under heavy acceleration, you won't notice a noise from the electric motors. And it appears to do a good job of cutting out any exterior road or wind noise, too.

As you'd expect for an upmarket electric SUV, the Q6 e-tron will come with an extensive list of driver-assistance tech as standard. Highlights include the parking system plus with a 360-degrees display, swerve assist and turn assist, top-view camera, traffic-sign-based speed limiter, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking in front and rear and camera-based traffic sign recognition. The Audi Q6 e-tron also gets intersection assist, lane departure warning, lane change assistant and exit warning system, rear cross traffic assist, rear turn assist, and advanced driver attention and fatigue monitor system as standard.

The Park Assist Plus feature, meanwhile, enables the vehicle to fully take over the entering and exiting parking manoeuvre for forwards and reverse parking into kerbside and bay parking spaces between vehicles - the vehicle steers, accelerates, brakes and switches off the motor. Customers will have the option of further assistance systems and a safety package as part of various equipment packages.

Euro NCAP has awarded the Audi Q6 e-tron a maximum five stars for safety.

Audi's building on a number of years' expertise in making electric cars so the Q6 e-tron ought to be pretty dependable. We hear of very few issues with other EVs in Audi's range, while the Q6 e-tron has been co-developed with Porsche, so that ought to be good news for long-term reliability.

Insurance groups are yet to be confirmed, but we'll expect it to sit in similar groups to the BMW iX3. That means it could be placed in insurance groups 44 or 45 - making it potentially quite expensive to insure.

The current plan is for all electric cars to be charged the same as a hybrid vehicle from 2025. At the current rate, that means an annual tax bill of £170/year - although that's likely to increase by the time the EV tax is introduced.

On top of that, cars with a list price of more than £40,000 are hit by annual £390/year in premium car tax for five years (from the second time the car's taxed). That means the Audi Q6 e-tron will be stung by an annual tax bill of at least £560 - potentially more. That's painful but it'll be exactly the same as rivals including the BMW iX3 and Tesla Model Y.

UK prices and specifications are yet to be confirmed, but expect the Audi Q6 e-tron to follow other models in the range. That means you can expect to see Sport, S line, Black Edition and Vorsprung trim levels.