Audi A5 Review

The Audi A4 is no more – it has been replaced by the Audi A5. Instead of having two separate model lines, Audi has taken the best bits from the old Audi A4 and Audi A5 ranges, and combined them into an all-new model. There are no saloons, coupes or cabriolets – instead, the new Audi A5 is offered as a five-door fastback (which Audi still calls ‘saloon’), which we’re focusing on here, or a more practical A5 Avant estate that you can read about separately.  

This is how Audi intends to take on the all-conquering BMW 3 Series in the ultra-competitive executive saloon sector. And, like the BMW, the new Audi A5 eschews fully electric power and sticks with a line-up of petrol, diesel and TFSI e plug-in hybrid powertrains. 

The new Audi A5 range is based on an optimised platform called Premium Platform Combustion (PPC). As other car manufacturers increasingly switch to EVs, Audi’s commitment to ICE (internal combustion engine) is to be welcomed. It ensures those not yet ready to make the switch to electric can still enjoy a thoroughly modern car. 

And the Audi A5 certainly ticks the boxes in terms of high-tech new features. Star of the show inside is an all-new ‘Digital Stage’ infotainment display. This freestanding screen curves from in front of the driver into the centre of the dashboard. It can be supplemented by an additional touchscreen for the passenger. It uses the latest OLED technology, so is ultra-crisp. 

The sleek design of the Audi A5 evolves the looks of the fastback saloon. It is much sleeker than the previous Audi A4, featuring more in common with the previous Audi A5, yet still with space for adults front and rear plus a decent boot. The wind-cheating design is ultra-smooth and even has details like flush-fit touch-sensitive doorhandles. 

And the Audi A5 still drives like all good Audis. It is sophisticated, effortless and precise, with great all-weather confidence and a robust ride. The engines are economical, particularly the diesel, and the long-range plug-in hybrids will offer a good pure electric range too.

For most buyers, the best all-round choice is an A5 Saloon Sport 2.0 TFSI 204PS. That version gives you the engine that best suits the car’s premium family-hatch brief, while Sport trim already comes with enough standard kit that it doesn’t feel like a compromise.

The diesel is the stronger option if you cover a lot of motorway miles, while the plug-in hybrid A5 e-hybrid is the more interesting answer if you can charge regularly and want to make use of its long 68 mile electric range. But for many private buyers, the 204PS petrol is the version that best captures what the A5 is meant to do.

The current Audi A5 Saloon range starts at £43,510 and rises to nearly £64,000 once you move into the upper end of the e-hybrid and higher-spec line-up.

That means the A5 sits firmly in premium family-car territory rather than trying to be a bargain. The appeal isn’t value in a “that’s a bargain” sense, but the way the quality, image and everyday polish still make it feel worth considering.

As mentioned, the Audi A5’s direct rival is the BMW 3 Series, while the Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be mentioned in the same breath as well.

Both the BMW and Mercedes-Benz also stick with petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines, with no electric options available. This reflects what buyers in this new car sector prefer. Outside the ‘big three’, the latest Skoda Superb is essentially a premium car without the price tag, offering petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines too.

The Audi A5’s 445-litre boot is one of the reasons this body style makes so much sense. It's usefully larger and more accessible than a conventional saloon boot, and the hatchback opening makes it easier to load bulkier items than the sleek roofline might suggest.

That places the Audi A5 reasonably well against its key rivals. The BMW 3 Series offers 480 litres, while the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon has 455 litres. Against that, the A5’s 445 litres stands up well, and the hatchback opening gives it a useful real-world practicality edge over more traditional saloon alternatives. However, opt for the diesel and boot space drops down to 417 litres, while the drops to 331 litres because of the battery packaging, which is a significant compromise if luggage space matters.

Passenger space is also strong enough for this class. Up front, the A5 feels generous and properly premium, with a low but comfortable driving position, good seat adjustment and enough width that it never feels cramped.

Rear space is good rather than exceptional, but it's perfectly usable for everyday family life. Two adults can sit in the back in reasonable comfort, and there's enough legroom for normal journeys without the car feeling tight. Headroom is respectable too, though very tall adults will still notice the A5’s sleek roofline more than they would in a boxier alternative.

The Audi A5 is 4,829mm long, 2,099mm wide and 1,444mm high – long enough to feel genuinely spacious and substantial, but not large enough to feel cumbersome in everyday use.

The Audi A5’s infotainment is one of the areas where it feels convincingly premium. Even Sport trim gets Audi’s digital cockpit instrument display and a large curved infotainment setup, which gives the cabin a much richer and more modern feel than the old car. Wireless smartphone integration is part of the package, and the whole dashboard design feels cleaner and more up to date than before.

Higher trims add more of the technology buyers at this price are likely to want. The optional Technology Pack brings a Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sound system, matrix LED headlights with eight digital light signatures, a head-up display and the ambient lighting package pro with dynamic interaction light. Vorsprung adds the 10.9-inch front passenger display, which can show navigation and media without distracting the driver.

The built-in voice assistant is also stronger than before. You can say “Hey Audi” to activate the self-learning voice assistant, and the broader connected-services feel is more convincing than in older Audi systems. The downside is that the A5 now leans heavily on screens, so some simple functions take more taps than they used to. Even so, the whole setup feels modern, slick and properly in keeping with the car’s premium position.

Material quality is one of the Audi A5’s key strengths. The dashboard, switchgear and main touchpoints all feel convincingly premium, and there's still more substance here than you get in a lot of mainstream family cars.

It's not all soft-touch perfection, but the overall feel is strong. The A5 still manages to feel special enough inside to justify the Audi badge and the price that comes with it.

The current Audi A5 range includes 150PS petrol, 204PS petrol, 204PS diesel and plug-in hybrid e-hybrid versions with up to 367PS. That gives buyers a sensible spread depending on whether they want a straightforward premium hatchback, a stronger motorway car or a plug-in hybrid that can cover a lot of daily driving without using petrol at all.The 150PS petrol is acceptable if most of your driving is local or urban, but the 204PS petrol is the engine that really suits the A5’s more premium character. It feels more effortless, more relaxed and better matched to the sort of polished family-hatch role this car is meant to fill.

The diesel is the one to choose if you regularly do longer distances. It suits the A5’s calm motorway manners particularly well and makes the most sense if you spend a lot of time on faster roads rather than in town.

The Audi A5 e-hybrid is the more specialised choice, but it's also the most interesting one in running-cost terms. With up to 68 miles of official electric range and 11kW AC charging, it's much more usable than older plug-in hybrids if you can charge regularly. The trade-off is the reduced boot size.

The Audi A5 stands out because it's so easy to drive well. The steering is light and accurate enough to make town driving simple, the controls all feel well judged and the whole car has the sort of calm, polished character that buyers in this class usually want.

Around town, the Audi A5 feels more manageable than its size first suggests and refined enough that it never seems flustered by daily use. Visibility is respectable, the driving position is excellent and the 204PS petrol in particular suits the car’s measured character very well. It has enough punch to feel effortless without making the chassis work too hard.

On the motorway, the Audi A5 is at its best. It feels settled, stable and impressively quiet for a premium family hatchback, which is one of the reasons it still makes such a strong case as an everyday long-distance car. The diesel is especially well suited to this kind of use, but even the petrol versions keep the A5 feeling grown up on faster roads.

It's not the sportiest or most engaging car in this class – a BMW 3 Series still feels keener if you actively enjoy driving. The A5’s appeal lies more in the way it blends refinement, comfort and control into something that feels consistently premium. That makes it particularly strong for buyers who want maturity first and excitement second.

The Audi A5 was awarded a maximum five-star rating from independent safety organisation Euro NCAP in 2024. The assessment praised strong occupant protection, good whiplash protection, advanced eCall, a system to prevent secondary impacts after a collision and a countermeasure to reduce occupant-to-occupant injuries in far-side impacts.

The current car also comes with a useful spread of safety and driver-assistance technology., including autonomous emergency braking, lane support and speed assistance systems, while Audi also offers a wide range of active-safety features across the range.

The 204PS petrol remains the most straightforward choice for most buyers, because it offers strong enough performance without looking excessive on fuel use – around 48mpg according to official figures. The diesel is the stronger option if you do a lot of motorway mileage and offers around 58mpg.

The plug-in e-hybrid’s attraction is obvious on paper because the electric range is up to 68 miles, which is enough to cover a lot of daily commuting without using petrol at all. That makes it more convincing than many older plug-in hybrids, but the smaller boot is a significant compromise and the official fuel economy figures only make sense if you charge regularly.

The Audi A5 comes with Audi’s standard three-year warranty in the UK, made up of two years of unlimited-mileage cover and a third year up to 60,000 miles.

Servicing should be straightforward enough through the wide Audi network, but will be pricier than less premium brands. Exact service intervals vary by engine but are mainly every year or 9300 miles – whichever comes first.

The Audi A5 spans insurance groups 23 to 43 (of 50) across the non-S5 and RS 5 range. Core petrol versions sit lower down the spread, while upper-spec diesel and plug-in hybrid versions rise sharply.

That is worth being clear about, because the A5 can look manageable in entry form but get expensive to insure quickly once you move into stronger engines, richer trims or hybrid territory.

All Audi A5 Saloons cost more than the £40,000 threshold for the expensive car supplement, which is in addition to the standard £200 annual Vehicle Excise Duty (VED or road tax) rate. That means you’ll have to pay an additional £440 a year for five years from the second tax payment – a total of £640 a year – before dropping back to the standard annual rate afterwards.