Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback review: range, battery & charging
Updates to the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback mean it now boasts a longer range and even faster charging
| Model | Range | Wallbox charge time | Rapid charge time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 e-tron Sportback | 266-290 miles | 9hrs 15mins (0-100%, 11kW) | 28mins (10-80%, 150kW) |
| 55 e-tron Sportback | 313-342 miles | 11hrs 30mins (0-100%, 11kW) | 31mins (10-80%, 170kW) |
| SQ8 e-tron Sportback | 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.
You’re still unlikely to get near the e-tron Sportback's claimed range, apart from in near-perfect conditions. We’d wager 250 miles on a charge is more realistic from the Q8 55 e-tron Sportback in normal driving – perhaps slightly more if you spend most of your time in stop-start traffic.
Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback range
Audi offers a choice of two batteries and three motor configurations on the Audi Q8 e-tron Sportback, 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 e-tron Sportback 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 e-tron Sportback 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.
Charge time
The Audi e-tron has always had some of the fastest charging speeds in the luxury electric SUV class – throwing shade at older rivals like the Jaguar I-Pace. However, for 2022, Audi not only updated its flagship electric SUV with a new name and fresh styling, it also fitted bigger batteries and faster charging.
Entry-level Q8 50 e-tron models now offer a 150kW peak charging speed, 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. 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.
Audi says every e-tron has 22 litres of coolant flowing through 40 metres of cooling lines across four coolant circuits. This makes its charging system more efficient than most, allowing the car to maintain higher charging speeds than its competitors. It works, too: we saw a pre-facelift e-tron hold 150kW from 45-80% when hooked up to a BP Pulse point, allowing us to match Audi’s claim of an 80% charge in around 30 minutes.
