2026 Audi A6 e-tron

The rebirth of the A6 as a fully electric Sportback is a chance for Audi to stretch its legs and move away from the modest figure its midsize sedan has cut for the last 30 years. Nothing about the new car is shared with the outgoing A6 (save for the turn signal and wiper stalks). All A6 E-trons sport a 94.9-kWh (usable) battery pack in the floor and 800-volt architecture. The A6 can have either Quattro all-wheel drive thanks to two electric motors or one motor for rear-wheel drive. A modern rear-drive sport sedan from Audi? We're in uncharted territory, people. 

Sportback style

Like the recently revealed A5 (which replaces the A4), the A6 E-tron will only be a Sportback rather than a traditional sedan. This is a good thing; having a power liftback will make the A6 far more functional than a car with a standard trunk opening. Official U.S. specs are still forthcoming, but Audi says the A6 E-tron will be available with wheel sizes ranging from 19 inches to 21 inches, and as you can see, the Sportback has a strong visual link to the Q6 SUV.

One battery, two power levels

In the U.S., Audi will offer the A6 E-tron with rear-wheel drive or Quattro all-wheel drive, both of which will be powered by a 100-kWh battery pack (94.4 kWh usable). The rear-drive A6 E-tron will offer 362 horsepower, while the A6 E-tron Quattro will up that output to 422 hp. Accelerating to 60 mph in the base car is estimated to take 5.2 seconds, and adding Quattro all-wheel drive reduces that time to 4.3 seconds.

Official EPA range estimates are still many months away from being finalized, but Audi's European arm says the A6 E-tron will max out at 750 kilometers — 466 miles — on the notoriously optimistic WLTP test cycle. Happily, because the A6 E-tron benefits from the same 800-volt architecture as the Q6 E-tron, it has a charging power of up to 270 kW.

How does the first RWD Audi sedan in almost 100 years drive?

As you potter over battered city pavement in the rear-wheel-drive A6 E-tron, you're treated to an almost dead-silent cabin, and the optional air suspension soaks up bumps like a dang sponge, even on 21-inch wheels. As you ramp up your speed on the highway, there is almost no perceptible wind noise coming from the mirrors or the front glass.

A lot of that has to do with this car's aerodynamics. The A6 E-tron has the lowest drag coefficient of any Audi ever made at 0.23. Audi says that in an EV, wind resistance is the biggest enemy to efficiency as you drive along at highway speeds. The faster you go, the more air you meet. However, the slipperier your car is, the less air you have to fight. The result is a car that's not only more efficient on longer hauls but whisper-quiet, too — and that's before you start up the excellent Bang & Olufsen sound system to drown out what little noise is left.

Picking up the pace, the A6 E-tron comes alive. The electric motor offers 362 horsepower and only really loses grunt after long, straight stretches of flat-out acceleration. It's easy to be smooth and taper your throttle inputs when you want to carry speed through a corner rather than going flat out. You can get more horsepower if you opt for the AWD model, but we don't think you need the extra grunt. If you live in an area with inclement weather, however, that's the model to go for.

Audis are typically derided for their terminal understeer — not so the A6 E-tron. As you approach a corner, scrub off a little speed and turn the wheel, the front of the E-tron neatly follows the line you've set and carries genuine pace through the bend. It's not a point-and-squirt machine like so many EVs. The steering itself is a little numb, but the progressive system (which changes the effort needed to turn the wheel based on steering angle) has been so thoroughly retuned that, finally, you're not left guessing where this Audi's nose is pointing. 

One-pedal driving and lots of range

There are four different regen settings on the A6 E-tron that you can select via the paddles on the steering wheel. There is no coasting function, but the lowest setting gives a very small amount of regenerative braking. There's also a one-pedal mode optimal for driving around town, but for faster driving, we prefer the least amount of regen. Flicking a paddle on the steering wheel and using the extra regen to help plant the nose into a corner, then backing off as you accelerate out is a fun dance to try to get right. 

The rear-wheel-drive A6 E-tron is estimated to get 370 miles of range if you opt for the 20-inch wheels, according to the EPA. There will be a rear-wheel-drive Ultra model that comes on smaller 19-inch rims and tires that are designed to minimize rolling resistance, and Audi says this setup increases range to 390 miles. If you opt for an all-wheel-drive A6 you can expect 333 miles of range.

Inside story

The A6 comes with Audi's newest interior, where two screens dominate the experience. The 11.9-inch instrument cluster gets a new design but is still configurable to show useful info like your trip meter, how much power you're using, route guidance info, or some combination of the three. The infotainment screen measures 14.5 inches and has crisp graphics, but the interface is extremely menu-heavy. Audi added configurable shortcuts for your most frequently used items, but the system is far too dense to fully understand over the course of a few hours. That said, I don't like that Audi has yet again stuck the climate controls inside of a screen menu instead of putting physical controls on the console. Prospective buyers will want to spend time playing around in the system before signing the dotted line. Thankfully, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.

The rest of the interior is typical Audi, but this time that's a good thing. Everything in the A6 feels extremely well bolted together, the leathers and fabrics are excellent to both sit on and touch, and the views out of both the front and rear are crystal-clear. There are small gripes, mainly the fact that small-item storage is lacking, the back seats are a little snug for anyone 6 feet or taller, and Audi's new shift knob looks cheap compared to the rest of your high-class surroundings. That said, this interior is (almost) exactly what you'd expect from Audi. 

The Audi A6 E-tron is particularly un-Audi in the way it tackles a good stretch of road. It goes, steers and grips like a pure sport sedan but doesn't feel compromised in terms of refinement or overall comfort. All signs point to Audi having finally found a way back to its best as it charges on with its electric revolution.