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Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron: range, battery & charging

About as efficient as a chocolate teapot, the Q8 Sportback e-tron has a long range, but uses a lot of electricity to get there

Overall rating

4.0 out of 5

Range, battery & charging rating

4.0 out of 5

Fuel Type:
Electric

Model

Range

Wallbox charge time

Rapid charge time

50 Sportback e-tron 

266-290 miles

9hrs 15mins (0-100%, 11kW)

28mins (10-80%, 150kW)

55 Sportback e-tron

313-342 miles

11hrs 30mins (0-100%, 11kW)

31mins (10-80%, 170kW)

SQ8 Sportback e-tron

290-295 miles

11hrs 30mins (0-100%, 11kW)

31mins (10-80%, 170kW)

The pre-facelift Audi e-tron was never famed for its long range. However, updates in late 2022 included bigger batteries and even faster charging; re-badged Q8 e-tron, the luxury electric SUV now had the numbers to back up its flagship status.

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However, while the numbers might look good on paper, the Q8 is still a big, heavy SUV, and therefore not all that efficient. The sleeker Sportback is a little better than the standard Q8 in this regard – its slipperier shape adding 10-15 miles of range to Audi’s official figures.

Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron range

Audi offers a choice of two batteries and three motor configurations on the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, all of which claim a longer range than before. When the car launched in 2019, you’d struggle to get more than 250 miles from any model; updates mean more than 300 miles is possible in perfect conditions.

The entry-level Audi Q8 50 Sportback e-tron will officially return 266-290 miles depending on specification – with the range-topping Vorsprung suffering due to its huge 22-inch wheels. The 95kWh battery is the same size as the one found in the pre-facelift 55 e-tron.

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That car now gets a huge 114kWh battery – among the largest available on any production car. The result is a total range of up to 342 miles (if you go for the 55 Sportback e-tron in Sport trim) – or 313 miles in range-topping Vorsprung spec. The tri-motor SQ8 gets the same battery pack, returning up to 295 miles on a charge.

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Of course, as mentioned above, these are all best-case scenario estimates; during our time testing the car, we just about managed 2.5 miles per kilowatt-hour, which translates to a real-world range of 265 miles – quite a way off Audi’s claimed figure of 342 miles.

Charge time

In granting it the Q8 designation, Audi also boosted the flagship e-tron’s peak rapid charging speed; entry-level Q8 50 e-tron models now offer a maximum rate of 150kW, which should result – Audi says – in a 10-80% charge in just 28 minutes. The Q8 55 e-tron and SQ8 get even faster 170kW charging, though the bigger batteries mean topping up takes a little longer; 10-80% is achievable in 31 minutes, the company claims.

Audi states AC home charging via an 11kW wallbox, though you’ll need three-phase electrics to take advantage of this – something most UK homes don’t have. A 7kW home charger is more common; we’d assume a 12-hour top-up time for the smaller-battery Q8 50 e-tron, or around 14 hours for the 55 e-tron or SQ8.

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Richard is editor of DrivingElectric, as well as sister site Carbuyer.co.uk, and a regular contributor to Auto Express. An electric and hybrid car advocate, he spent more than five years working on the news and reviews desk at Auto Express and has driven almost every new car currently on sale.

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