Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron

Audi Q4 e-tron Sport 40 long-term test report 1: We welcome Audi's popular electric SUV

Audi's most popular electric car is the Q4 e-tron and we will be running one for the next few months.

Date: 23 January 2023 | Current mileage: 2140 miles | Claimed consumption: 3.7 m/kWh | Actual consumption: 2.7 m/kWh

In my first two weeks of running the Audi Q4 Sportback 40 e-tron its looks have been getting plenty of attention. For some, the sloping roofline (which gives it the Sportback name), fancy alloys and sweeping headlights give it a “futuristic look”. One stranger commented: “It looks like a spaceship.” Others have made lots of cooing noises and commented on the “plush” interior. 

A friend who drives a Volkswagen Golf ID.3, which is built on the same Volkswagen Group platform as the Q4 e-tron, was more interested in what the Q4 e-tron is like as an electric vehicle. “What’s the battery size?” they wanted to know. 

Well, Audi has discontinued the Q4 35 e-tron, which had a total capacity of 55kWh so the range starts with the Audi Q4 40 e-tron, which has a useable battery of 76.6 kWh. That’s bigger than the 58 kWh battery you’ll find in the VW ID.3’s Pro Performance model (understandable given the price difference between the two models) but also bigger (just) than key rival the BMW iX3’s useable battery capacity of 74kWh. 

For me, battery capacity is all-important too as I don’t have the ability to charge at home, although my friend with the ID.3 has a wallbox and has let me top up several times at theirs. 

They are on a cheap overnight tariff with their electricity provider (15p per kWh) while charging the Q4 40 e-tron during the day at theirs costs 39p per kWh. That means it would cost £29.87 if I’d needed to fully charge (still cheaper than a tank of diesel) and the cost for  some EV drivers with historic agreements with their energy providers will be even less. 

The Q4 40 e-tron Sportback’s official range is 326 miles, although as I’ve taken delivery of it in winter the current range is more in the region of 240 miles. That still means my top ups aren’t frequent as I’m a low mileage driver and rarely have to do long journeys. 

Audi has supplied three charging cables for rapid charging, slow charging with a three-pin plug and a type 2 cable. It says that 93 miles can be added in just 10 minutes using a 22kWh charger. 

The cables are stored beneath the boot’s false floor which is much more practical than other EVs I’ve driven in the past where boot space is taken up with multiple cables. Surprisingly the official boot capacity for the Sportback is actually 15 litres more than than the standard Q4 e-tron (535 litres versus 520). 

I’ll be finding out over the next few months how much it costs to charge using the public charging network and how convenient (or not) that is. I’ve already scoured Zap Map and there are four locations in the town I live where I can charge. That’s better than the one charging location in another nearby town (and that location is at a school with restrictions on public use).