The Audi Q5 has long been one of the most popular large SUVs on the market, by virtue of its brilliant interiors, flashy sportiness, practical size and everyday usability. In fact, it’s an attractive prospect for pretty much any car buyer. And with an engine lineup including two plug-in hybrid power options with decent electric-only ranges, the Q5 boasts competitively low emissions, too, making it a solid choice for the cash-savvy company car driver.
If plugging in isn’t for you, the regular Q5 offers the choice of a 201bhp diesel and 261bhp petrol, both with mild–hybrid assistance. (We say regular because it’s also available as the performance-focused SQ5 and the coupé SUV Q5 Sportback.) And while the Q5 offers an array of engine choices, you can also select from four trim levels, not to mention a raft of luxury add-ons. But before we get ahead of ourselves with the equipment, let’s check out the Q5’s key stats.
| Brand-new price range | £47,000–£78,000 |
| Car Planet price range | £13,000–£17,000 / £256–£342 a month |
| Trims | 10 |
| Engines | 8 |
| Available fuels | Petrol, diesel, hybrid |
| mpg range across all versions | 45–157 |
| Doors | 5 |
| Warranty | 3 years/60,000 miles |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £1,200/£5,700 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £2,400/£11,300 |
Equipment, options and extras
The whole range of the Audi Q5 includes a generable amount of standard equipment. With the Sport trim you’ll experience three-zone climate control, 18in alloy wheels, cruise control and part-leather seats heated in the front. The S Line entails slightly larger 19in alloy wheels, as well as privacy glass, matrix LED headlights and more aggressive bumpers. With Edition 1 your wheels will grow again to 20 inches, and you’ll also enjoy napa leather seats and myriad styling touches. Finally we reach the range-topping Vorsprung, lavishly equipped with almost every creature comfort you can imagine.
Costs, insurance groups, mpg and CO2
As a premium-badged large SUV, the Audi Q5 is fairly expensive, but it’s still competitively priced compared to its rivals, and will probably retain its value better than them, too. Its slower depreciation also means the Q5 is cheaper to buy on PCP finance than you might think. That being said, the Jaguar F-PACE holds on to its value even better than the Q5, and its monthly payments tend to cost less as well.
For the cheapest company car tax you’ll want one of the Q5’s plug-in hybrid models, the 50 or 55 TFSI e, both of which offer the same BIK rates as the equivalent BMW X3, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Volvo XC60 and, of course, Jaguar F-PACE. To eke out the best economy from either, you’ll need to keep the battery fully charged. A dedicated home charger should take you from flat to full in 2 and a half hours. A three-pin household plug will take 8 hours. The Discovery Sport and F-PACE go from flat to full even faster, though, as they’re specifically designed for rapid charging.
Safety and security
The Audi Q5 scored 5 stars out of 5 in its Euro NCAP safety appraisal, although on closer inspection it scored marginally less than its rivals the Mercedes GLC or Volvo XC60 for protecting adult and child occupants in a crash.
Every Q5 includes six airbags and automatic emergency braking as standard. The optional City Assist pack, which is standard on the Vorsprung trim, adds further preventative safety aids, including blind spot monitoring and a system that warns you of approaching vehicles when you’re reversing out onto the road. The optional Tour pack, which again is standard on Vorsprung, includes turn assist, which stops the car if you fail to spot a vehicle when pulling out of a T junction, plus adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition. Finally, all Q5s come with a Thatcham-approved alarm and immobiliser as standard.
Reliability
All Audi Q5s come with a 3-year warranty capped at 60,000 miles, although extended warranties of up to 5 years or 90,000 miles are available. The plug-in hybrid models entail a separate warranty for the battery pack, which covers it for 8 years or 100,000 miles.
The Car Planet verdict
The Audi Q5 is an excellent choice if you yearn for a big posh SUV but don’t need seven seats. It outperforms its rivals the BMW X3 in terms of its interiors and the XC60 in terms of drivability. For the most comfortable yet affordable ride, we recommend the entry-level Sport trim.
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