2026 Audi Q5 e-hybrid review

There’s good timing, and then there’s the glut of electrified new vehicles landing in Australia in the middle of an ongoing oil crisis.

Australia’s new-car landscape has changed dramatically in recent months, and car makers who have read the tea leaves with their electrified models are in the box seat.

While a plug-in hybrid variant of the Audi Q5 isn’t new, the 2026 version is based on the all-new, third-generation Q5 and it brings better value, greater electric range and improved charging.

All in all, the Q5 e-hybrid is a convincing proposition, even if it makes a couple of concessions to get there.

How much does the Audi Q5 e-hybrid cost?

The 2026 Audi Q5 e-hybrid opens at $96,818 (plus on-road costs), which makes it $15,000 more expensive than the most affordable petrol-powered Q5 model on sale in Australia.

Opting for the Q5 e-hybrid Sportback, which brings a sportier profile and additional cosmetic accoutrements, adds a further premium of circa $4000.

Audi claims the latest Q5 e-hybrid is $9000 cheaper than the model it replaces and crucially, it’s priced identically to the petrol-powered 200kW Q5 TFSI quattro but brings more power and driving range for the money.

Both versions of the Q5 e-hybrid feature Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system, employing a 2.0-litre petrol engine that combines with an electric motor to offer 270kW/500Nm and 82km of electric only driving.

In terms of rivals, the Q5 e-hybrid takes on the Mercedes-Benz GLC350e (from $99,817 plus ORCs) and BMW X3 xDrive 30e ($107,700 plus ORCs).

What is the Audi Q5 e-hybrid like inside?

The Audi Q5 e-hybrid offers one of the more memorable interiors we’ve experienced this year – in the front row, at least.

There are traditional luxury virtues, like the comfortable seats, a low-slung driving position, tasteful materials and presentation, and tech that is effortless and functional.

We found the car’s brace of screens easy enough to use, and while there is a digital veneer to navigating them – with few hardwired buttons – a bank of permanent icons at the base of the centre screen saves you digging through needless sub menus.

Audi should also be applauded for returning haptic rollers to their steering wheel following customer feedback. Some front seat passengers may take exception to the angle of the centre touchscreen, though, which is heavily banked towards the driver; an optional dedicated passenger screen is the remedy, but you’ll have to fork out $5700 for a broader Tech Pro for that.

Storage is generous up front, with ample cubbies and hidey holes, and a similarly strong spread of USB points dotted around the cabin for charging.

That said, the Q5’s cabin comes with a couple of caveats. First up, rear seat space isn’t as generous as its 4.71-metre length suggest. There’s enough space for little ones or two adults on medium-length journeys, but we found ourselves surprised at the general shoulder, knee and headroom proportions, which weren’t as big as we expected.

The second caveat is the use of materials in the rear seat. Subpar plastics adorn some of the contact points, particularly across the door skins, detracting from the glossiness of the front row.

Further back the 438-litre boot area offers adequate space, even though it is impacted by the electrified drivetrain (regular Q5 boot space is listed as 520 litre). The boot offers a flat floor, a wide aperture and low loading height. Dedicated levers allow you to stow the 40:20:40 split-fold rear seats from the boot area, liberating up to 1358 litres. Luggage space is slightly smaller in the Sportback version at 433 litres/1300 litres, due to its raked roofline.

What equipment does the Audi Q5 e-hybrid come with?

Standard equipment on the Audi Q5 e-hybrid includes: 20-inch alloy wheels, three-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, Matrix LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED tail lights, rear privacy glass, partial leather seats, electric front seat adjustment, heated front seats and more.

Infotainment comprises a 14.5-inch centre touchscreen display, which sits adjacent to a separate 11.9-inch digital screen for the driver. A head-up display is part of an optional $5400 ‘Premium Package’ which also brings a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, interior lighting and high-capacity USB-C charging points.

The Q5 e-hybrid is backed by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty in Australia, while servicing intervals are set at every 12 months or 15,000km. According to Audi a pre-paid five-year/75,000km service plan will set owners back $3520 from the point of purchase.

How safe is the Audi Q5 e-hybrid?

The Q5 range carries a five-star ANCAP safety rating. So it’s very safe, but better still, its active safety systems aren’t distracting or annoying.

Audi deserves special mention for the tuning of its safety systems in Australia. They are benign in their intervention yet effective when required.

Standard safety features include nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, lane assistance, road sign recognition and much more. A new long-range radar also ensures more accurate tuning than before.

What powers the Audi Q5 e-hybrid?

The Q5 e-hybrid combines a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with a 105kW electric motor which draws energy from a 25.9kWh battery (20.7kWh usable).

All told, combined outputs are rated at a muscular 270kW and 500Nm. That’s enough to launch the Q5 e-hybrid from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds, according to Audi, while claimed fuel consumption is rated at a miserly 3.3L/100km combined.

An electric-only driving range of 82km (WLTP, up from 55km on predecessor) is quoted for both the SUV and Sportback, while a maximum 11kW (up from 7.2kW) three-phase AC charging rate is said to fully charge its 25.9kWh lithium-ion battery in as little as 2.5 hours.

The Q5 is one of the first Audi models to deploy frequency selective dampers, an increasingly popular technology which offers precise, immediate reactions to the surface underneath.

What is the Audi Q5 e-hybrid like to drive?

The Q5 e-hybrid hypothetically offers the best of both worlds in terms of its electric power and long-range petrol amenity.

The good news is those virtues largely translate in practice, with a vehicle that happily doddles around town in electrified silence and offers a pleasing breadth of performance on the open road.

The 105kW electric motor offers steady progress from a standstill, climbing to signposted speeds and bringing a smooth, surefooted driving experience. The 82km electric claim seems plausible in real-world driving, and paired with its improved 11kW AC charging capacity, means for many it is completely realistic to have EV commuting during the week and petrol convenience on the weekend.

Asking for additional urgency usually wakes the 2.0-litre petrol to life. You’ll know this from inside the cabin because Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous EA888 petrol engine feels comparatively crude with its interventions, breaking into song with its distinct soundtrack.

The petrol-electric combination is suitably punchy when required, though, and works harmoniously to deliver strong economy. We managed 3.4L/100km in a mix of conditions, but if you play your green card well enough, we reckon you could see lower again.

That brings us to another Q5 e-hybrid quirk: weight. For a vehicle that, even in ordinary guise has never been lauded as especially sporty, weight becomes apparent through faster changes in direction, whereupon slow-ish steering and a lack of body tautness leave a little to be desired.

But otherwise it arrests it weight confidently over larger washouts in the road and soaks up pitter-patter bumps nicely – at least based on our test cars, which were fitted with optional $4650 air suspension. The steering offers adequate feedback for a mid-size SUV, while the chassis imparts a reasonable feel of the road and what’s happening underneath.

The cabin is serene and largely devoid of squeaks or rattles on our new test cars, too.

The NRMA’s take on the Audi Q5 e-hybrid

At over $100k on the road, the Audi Q5 e-hybrid won’t fit everyone’s description of ‘frugal’ motoring.

By and large, however, it manages to offer a seamless blend of excellent electric efficiency combined with a smart cabin and excellent on-board technology and safety.

The additional equipment and lower price of entry reinforce the sentiment the Q5 PHEV is the right car at the right time - now more than ever.

What we liked

• Polished interior (up front) and excellent technology suite
• Safety systems that work and are benign and subtle in their interventions
• Excellent real-world electric range and strong hybrid power
  
  What could be better?

• The car’s diminutive petrol engine goes against the luxury brief
• Tighter rear seat space than expected, some rear seat material shortcuts
• No spare tyre, compromised boot area