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
|
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.
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.
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.
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.
