Audi Q5 Review 2025

The original Audi Q5 was launched to great fanfare back in 2008 and has since become the firm’s best-selling car in the world. It means the launch of a new one is a very big deal but does the latest version of this upmarket family SUV still have what it takes? Find out with our full Audi Q5 review. 

The Audi Q5 quickly became a familiar sight on UK roads. While there were the usual murmurings of discontent at launch from rally-bred enthusiasts who remember the 1980s Audi Quattros, most were simply pleased Audi was getting with the picture by launching an alternative to the similarly-popular BMW X3 and upcoming Volvo XC60.

Launched in 2017, the second-generation Q5 cemented its popularity, which leaves this latest iteration with very big shoes to fill. Audi has accordingly developed it from its own Premium Platform Combusiton (PPC) architecture, rather than sharing underpinnings with other models from the Volkswagen Group. It means longitudinally-mounted engines remain, while Audi’s also been able to develop its own sophisticated mild hybrid system, called MHEV Plus.

Traditionalists will be delighted to hear there won’t be a pure electric Q5, instead the Audi Q6 e-tron serves that role. For the Q5, Audi offers a choice of mild hybrid petrol and — yes, really — diesel engines. Long-range plug-in hybrids will follow later in 2025, with one eye on the company car sector that to date has helped make the Audi Q5 such a hit.

The Q5 has the aero-influenced styling of most other modern Audis. The sharp-edged simplicity is traded for a more rounded appearance, with a lot more going on than its cleaner and less busy predecessors. Typically, you can ramp things up further with S Line trim, something that a majority of UK customers are predicted to do.

It’s more of a tech-fest inside the new Audi Q5, with the introduction of the firm’s Digital Stage package. If you like buttons, this will be a bit of a culture shock, although the screens themselves are suitably vivid and modern.

With a longer wheelbase, the new Audi Q5 has more space all round and a better-optimised boot that’s well-shaped and practical. Indeed, it feels even more of a well-honed machine overall, reflecting the fact its plentiful global sales require it to be something for everyone.

The fact it’s sticking with petrol and diesel power for now, with those plug-in hybrids coming later, shows that Audi remains committed to offering competitive combustion engine models for tomorrow’s buyers, not just today’s. Rather than being a second thought alongside the Q6 e-tron, the new Audi Q5 is arguably the most complete version yet. Prices arguably reflect this but console yourself with the fact it’s still cheaper than an

The Audi Q5 is a very precise and effortless family SUV to drive. It has accurate and responsive steering, well-judged handling and resists both body roll in corners and uncomfortable wallowiness on uneven roads. There is a proviso here, mind — we have only driven it on optional air suspension (it costs £1725), so will have to wait and see how standard cars fare.

The Audi Q5 with air suspension rides nicely, ably coping with even the most challenging of broken roads. It wafts along quietly and even the sportiest 21-inch alloy wheels don’t descend into crashiness. Importantly, it also feels extra-stable at speed, with an effortlessness to how it cruises on the motorway.

Although it is quite a large car, the Audi’s precise nature makes it easy to drive in town, and the visibility you get from its high seating position is a benefit here. Standard Quattro four-wheel drive gives it a confident feel in all weathers, while that optional air suspension brings adjustable ride height that can raise it up in Off-Road mode — perfect for a spot of impromptu green-laning. 

The Audi Q5 launches with a choice of two 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines, a TFSI petrol and TDI diesel. Interestingly, they both produce 204PS, with the diesel offering more torque — 400Nm versus 340Nm. A seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox is standard on both, as is the MHEV Plus 48-volt mild hybrid system.

MHEV Plus consists of a 1.7kWh battery, belt-driven starter-generator and — the clever bit — a 24PS, 230Nm electric motor mounted on the back of the gearbox. It provides immediate support to the engine, seamless starting and engine-off ‘sailing’ — coasting, in other words — all from a battery charged entirely by energy recuperation. Audi reckons it gives a 10g/km CO2 benefit and helps improve fuel consumption.

It works very well with the TDI, an engine that feels relaxing and effortless thanks to its low-rev pulling power. It has a bit of a dieselly noise in town, but is more audible from the outside than from within, and shows there’s still plenty of life left in this type of engine yet.

The TFSI is smoother at lower revs, but busier too. It’s more reliant on a downchange or two to summon up pulling power and it can be a bit thrashy and vocal at higher revs. Both engines cope better than you’d expect of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder in such a relatively large car, but some may still welcome the extra power of the upcoming plug-in hybrids.

Special mention must go to the low-speed EV ability of both engines. Thanks to the MHEV Plus system, the engine is often turned off at speeds below 30mph, yet unlike most mild hybrids, it’s able to pull away in EV mode too. It’s a mild hybrid system that does a good job of mimicking a full hybrid, and the more you drive it, the more impressive it becomes.

The new Audi Q5 has yet to be crash-tested by Euro NCAP but we don’t doubt its ability to score the full five stars. The similarly-sized Audi Q6 e-tron has scored five-stars, with very impressive all-round ratings — and the latest Audi A5 Saloon that shares the Q5’s PPC architecture is also a five-star Euro NCAP car.

Naturally, Audi fits a plentiful array of safety assist technology as standard. We like how you can set the configurable steering wheel ‘star’ button to easily disable the speed limit warning, while the lane-keep assist is also easy to turn off.

As standard the Audi Q5 comes with a comprehensive 360-degree park assist camera, plus adaptive cruise control and ultra-bright LED headlights with a dedicated ‘all-weather’ setting.

The Audi Q5 comes with trailer preparation as standard. An electric folding towbar is an £1155 option — it whirrs from beneath the bumper at the press of a button. It also includes Trailer Assist, which helps you reverse via the MMI infotainment. The Audi Q5 has a maximum braked towing weight of 2400kg.

The Audi Q5 builds on the previous versions’ practicality with even more space inside. The driver enjoys a first-rate seating position, with the high-set seats giving a great view out, with both steering wheel and pedals being really well-positioned. The seats themselves are superb, particularly the sportier S Line chairs.

There’s a particularly large centre stowage space in the front, thanks to features such as the slimline gearlever switch, as also seen on the Skoda Enyaq. Some will miss the absence of physical heater controls though — they’ve been relegated to the bottom of the touchscreen. There is a virtual button console on the driver’s door, for mirrors, lights and seat memory. While snazzy, it’s awkwardly positioned — you’ll invariably brush it when pulling the door closed.

The Audi Q5 also has touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, although they’re not quite as fiddly as those on the similarly sized Mercedes GLC. We really like the squared-off steering wheel you get in S Line models, which is a pleasure to hold, and makes getting in and out even easier.

The longer wheelbase of the latest Audi Q5 has yielded more space in the rear. There’s generous leg and knee room, while the seat itself is just as comfortable as those in the front. The rear seat now has a split-slide function, to juggle passenger and boot space, plus the backrests recline.

The Audi Q5 has a larger boot as well, now up to 520 litres. It is an extremely well-designed space, which is square, deep and fully-optimised. Almost every inch of boot space is usable and Audi’s even reduced the height of the loading lip so it’s easy to drag heavy items in and out.

With the rear seats folded — via remote levers in the boot — the space expands to 1473 litres. Audi has created a dedicated space beneath the boot floor to store the luggage cover, so you’ll no longer have to worry about what to do with it.

Being an Audi, many aspects of the Q5 are finished to a very high standard. S Line versions are particularly desirable here, with suede-effect Dinamica upholstery on the door panels, centre console and seat sections being a particularly high-end material. There are lined door pockets, switches with a nice click action and even the column stalks are robust.

There are some harder plastics lower down but they’re really not too objectionable. The Audi Q5 itself feels like a solid, robust car that’s built to last — the only creak you’ll hear when underway may come from using that controversial door-mounted button pack.

The Audi Q5 has the firm’s new Digital Stage infotainment. Beneath a curved freestanding panoramic OLED display are a 14.5-inch Audi MMI touchscreen and 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument display. The Digital Stage is extremely crisp and clear, with an abundance of colourful clarity.

The system is very swift to respond, usefully so as it’s now entirely operated by touch, with Audi abandoning the old central controller. Some will miss physical heater controls — they’re now integrated into the bottom of the display. At least they’re permanently displayed.

The new menu logic of the Audi Q5’s infotainment will take a bit of familiarisation. A vertical row of shortcuts will help but the those used to the old Audi systems will have to re-learn things. It’s the same for the driver display, which you scroll through via the touch-sensitive steering wheel controls. Some will also miss the fact you can no longer have full-screen mapping in the driver display — it’s now only on the central screen.

Audi includes a new app store, to download third party apps, while it claims its voice assistant is now more intelligent and will recognise more than 800 voice commands. The optional head-up display (HUD) is noteworthy, with bright, colourful and useful instructions — they’re even displayed in the same font used on the screens.

We’ve yet to try the standard 10-speaker Audi stereo but can confirm the optional Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sound system is excellent. Oh! Audi also offers an optional 10.9-inch passenger display, so those in the front can set the navigation on behalf of the driver. We’re not fully convinced how useful it will be.  

The Audi Q5 range now opens at more than £50,000 — the Sport TFSI Quattro 204PS is £50,730, with the TDI version costing £52,380.

The preferred Audi Q5 S Line starts from £53,330 for the TFSI and £54,980 for the TDI. Well-equipped Audi Q5 Edition 1 costs £57,530 and £59,180 for the TFSI and TDI engines respectively. Audi expects Sport and Edition 1 to each take 20% of sales, with the bulk of the volume comprising S Line versions.

Compared to its rivals, the Audi Q5 is a little more expensive than a BMW X3, which starts at £49,495. The Mercedes GLC is, however, significantly more expensive than both of them — the least-costly version of that is £52,895.

Solid Arkos White is the only standard paint colour on the Audi Q5. Other optional metallics cost £750, with premium Sakhir Gold costing £1495. We’d happily save the money.  

Because it is an expensive car, the Audi Q5 can’t escape the Expensive Car Supplement tax. This adds £425 a year on to the VED road tax bill between years two to six at 2025/26 rates. Its reasonably high CO2 emissions mean a first-year rate of £680, too. Again, the Audi Q6 e-tron electric alternative will be cheaper to tax.

Because CO2 emissions start from 158g/km, the Audi Q5 won’t be the cheapest model for company car drivers. Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rates start from a heady 37%, compared to the 3% charged on the electric Audi Q6 e-tron. Those Audi Q5 plug-in hybrids can’t come a moment too soon for fleet car drivers.

The Audi Q5 is fuel-efficient in both TFSI and TDI guises. The petrol averages up to 40.4mpg, while the diesel averages up to 47.1mpg. It’s worth noting that the bigger wheels of S Line and Edition 1 versions do have an impact on fuel economy — the average drops to 38.2mpg for the TFSI S Line, for example, and to 44.8mpg for the TDI equivalent.

It's a similar story in terms of CO2 emissions. The two cars are very evenly matched, with the Audi Q5 Sport TFSI emitting 159g/km CO2 and the TDI producing 158g/km. Move up to S Line grade and the TFSI produces 168g/km and the TDI produces 166g/km. This also has a small impact on company car BiK tax.

The Audi Q5 trim level structure is nice and straightforward with three key specifications called Sport, S Line and Edition 1.

The Audi Q5 Sport may be the entry-level version but it doesn’t have an entry-level specification. It has 19-inch alloys, front and rear LED lights including dynamic rear indicators, heated front sports seats upholstered in Twin Leather, three-zone climate control, electric folding door mirrors with auto-dimming function, a 10-speaker sound system and MMI navigation plus with a 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen and 11.9-inch OLED driver display. Integral navigation, wireless smartphone charging and a rear-view camera are also included.

The Audi Q5 S Line is a favourite amongst British buyers. It looks the part with 20-inch alloys, lowered sport suspension and an S Line exterior styling pack including bumpers and radiator grille, making it notably more aggressive-looking from the front, plus a rear diffuser. Audi also fits a snazzy rear projection brake light. There are S Line badges on the front wings and darkened rear privacy glass, while inside there’s a three-spoke leather steering wheel with S badging and a flattened top and bottom, plus smarter S Line upholstery.

The Audi Q5 Edition 1 is the top-spec version. It has 21-inch alloys in matt grey with a gloss-turned finish, red brake calipers, Matrix LED headlights including a series of active digital light signatures and the Audi digital key. Inside there are electric front sports seats with Dinamica micro-fibre and leather and a 10.9-inch MMI front passenger display.

The list of options for the Audi Q5 has been carefully curated. A desirable choice is the Sound & Vision Pack including a head-up display, Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sounds system and higher-rated USB charge ports — it costs £2195. A panoramic glass roof is £1600, carbon micro twill structure dashboard inlays are £550 and adaptive air suspension is £1725.