2025 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Review

Audi's latest EV offers more range and performance, but it falls short in terms of luxury.

Tim Stevens | 

Jul 23, 2025 | 8 min read

Tim Stevens

Though it wears familiar badges, the 2025 A6 Sportback e-tron (and the sport-tuned S6 Sportback e-tron) is all new from top to bottom. The "Sportback" designation signifies a sedan-like shape with the practicality of a hatchback, folding rear seats, and a generous cargo compartment to match. With your choice of rear-wheel drive (RWD) or Quattro all-wheel drive (AWD), and outputs ranging from 375 to 543 horsepower, this electric version of the A6 aspires to cover a wide section of the market.

However, a starting price in the mid-$60,000s may put the base A6 Sportback e-tron out of reach for many, while the speedier S6 starts just under $80,000. For that money, the new A6 and S6 both offer excellent performance and range, but they fall short in terms of premium touches that could make those sticker prices more palatable.

Tim Stevens

About the 2025 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Review Vehicle

The 2025 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron is available in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels. Base prices range from the mid-$60,000s to the mid-$70,000s, including the destination charge to ship the car to a dealership from the Ingolstadt, Germany, assembly plant. The S6 version's base prices range from just below $80,000 to the mid-$80,000s, including destination.

For this A6 review, I test-drove an A6 Prestige in Santa Barbara, California. It came with the Warm Weather package and had a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $77,240, including the $1,295 destination charge. I also drove an S6 Prestige with the Black Optic package, which had an MSRP of $88,390. Audi provided the vehicles for this review and covered the costs of airfare, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.

Tim Stevens

The New 2025 A6 e-tron Is Simply Styled

Viewed from the side, the A6 Sportback e-tron has a generic shape with little of the character evident on many of Audi's models. Instead, it wears simple, smooth, and aerodynamic styling (it delivers an impressive 0.23 coefficient of drag). While the A6 does offer a sharper look than, say, the even more anonymous Mercedes-Benz EQE, it's hard to imagine getting excited about looking at this Audi every morning.

The interior boasts a more stylish design, incorporating themes already featured in Audi's latest models. Up front, the dominant features are the displays; three of them adorn the dashboard when you opt for the Prestige package.

That maximum screenage doesn't leave much room for added decoration, but space exists, and Audi chooses unfortunate materials for this purpose. In my drive of the A6 Prestige test car, I found Audi used a strip of fake wood veneer. The S6 Prestige had a strip of something I assume was pretending to be carbon fiber. While the microfiber material elsewhere within the S6 looked and felt much better to me, your hands probably won't have to reach far to find some decidedly brittle, harsh plastics. If you value tactility, you may not like what you touch here.

Tim Stevens

At least the front seats are comfortable and offer both heating and cooling. However, even with the top-shelf A6 Prestige, you must add the Warm Weather package to get seat ventilation. Rear passengers enjoy plenty of headroom and legroom, and three adults can fit. A standard panoramic glass roof enhances rear headroom and adds significant light to the cabin. To cut glare, you can fog the glass with the touch of a button.

One of the primary benefits of a sportback body style is significant cargo space, and the new A6 e-tron delivers. Behind the rear seats, there is a generous 25.9 cubic-feet of luggage room. Fold the back seat down, and the car can accommodate 39.9 cu-ft.

Tim Stevens

Advanced Safety Tech and Triple Displays in the New A6 e-tron

Regarding safety, the A6 Sportback e-tron comes standard with the expected advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Step up to the Prestige package, and Audi's Adaptive Cruise Assist technology with lane-centering assist is standard.

During my evaluation, the lane-centering feature performed well on the highway, keeping the car properly positioned even when lane markings were difficult to make out. Additionally, the driver-monitoring system was quick to warn me when my eyes spent too much time admiring the scenery and not enough time monitoring the tech.

As impressive as the ADAS is, the A6 Prestige's trio of digital screens is what most owners will use daily. The array includes an 11.9-inch driver display, a 14.5-inch center touchscreen, and a 10.9-inch display on the right for the front passenger to use. That's a lot of pixels, but unfortunately, the car doesn't always make the best use of them.

Tim Stevens

For example, the driver display is disappointingly basic. Audi pushed the envelope with digital gauges back in 2014 when it introduced the first Virtual Cockpit display, which quickly became a standout feature across the company's product range. This new version offers a basic view of your car's status, featuring a few inset panels on either side that display information such as trip details or the next turn. If you want to project an additional view of the navigation map on the driver display, you can't do that.

Fortunately, the augmented-reality head-up display is impressive. Program a destination, and it paints floating blue arrows on the view ahead to indicate your next turn. It also features flashy animations to alert you to changing speed limits and other relevant information. However, the head-up display is only available with the Premium Plus or Prestige trim.

Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) is snappy and easy to use. Although there are plenty of icons and menus to navigate, the equally snappy conversational digital voice assistant makes it easy to skip manual inputs on the screen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto connectivity is standard, as is a wireless device charger.

Tim Stevens

The A6 Sportback e-tron Balances Performance With Compliance

Audi has a reputation for building cars that are engaging to drive, but as a luxury touring sedan, the A6 Sportback e-tron must also handle cruising duties capably. That it does, and although I did not sample the standard suspension tuning, the test cars' adaptive air suspensions (standard on the A6's Prestige package and all S6 models) did a stellar job of keeping the Audis calm and composed over badly broken asphalt.

Even with the S6 model's 21-inch wheels, the ride quality was quite good in the softer Comfort setting. And, when dialed over to the sportier Dynamic mode, things felt firmer but never harsh. Steering feel is surprisingly good, and overall, both the A6 and S6 were remarkably enjoyable to drive.

They're quick, too, with the dual-motor A6 feeling properly fast. A somewhat relaxed power curve means you have to step hard on the pedal to find maximum motive force, but when you push the accelerator to the floor, the A6 Sportback eagerly charges forward to well beyond the speed limit. The S6 is another degree above in terms of performance. It feels sharper on the road, too, but the differences are so subtle that I'd prefer to save some money and stick with the A6.

Both versions of the car were exceptionally smooth and quiet at speed. The A6 may not be the most evocative thing to behold in a parking lot, but it certainly cuts through the atmosphere sleekly.

Tim Stevens

That aerodynamic efficiency likely helps the 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack provide maximum range. The single-motor A6 Sportback e-tron is EPA-rated for up to 392 miles, while the Quattro drops to 377 miles and the S6 to 324 miles. Audi states that the charging system is compatible with 270-kilowatt DC fast chargers, which can take the battery from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes.

During my testing, I observed an efficiency of 3 miles per kilowatt-hour (mi/kWh) with the A6, driving a route that included numerous mountain climbs. The S6 did better at 3.2 mi/kWh, but on a route with a significant descent that offered opportunities for recuperative braking.

Tim Stevens

Is the 2025 Audi A6 Sportback e-tron a Good Electric Vehicle?

Audi's latest e-tron may not be the sharpest looking or the most exciting luxury car, and some of the budget-minded interior materials disappoint. The BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE both offer more refined interiors. However, the new 2025 A6 Sportback e-tron offers an impressive all-around driving experience, ample range, and plenty of utility. For those looking to go farther on a charge, the Audi is a great choice.

Tim Stevens

Tim is a freelance automotive and technology journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He is a frequent contributor to major domestic and international online, print, and broadcast news outlets, sharing his insights and perspectives on everything from cybersecurity to supercars. Tim also serves as a juror for the World Car Awards and regularly acts as speaker and moderator at major industry events such as CES, Web Summit, SXSW, NAIAS, and AutoMobility LA. He formerly served as editor-at-large and vice president of content at CNET. Before that he was editor-in-chief of Engadget and editorial director at AOL Tech.