Audi A5 Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

If you’re a company car driver that’s not yet ready to go fully electric, the Audi A5 is a good choice. The long-range petrol and diesel engines – we saw a range of over 600 miles from a full tank of diesel – make high-mileage driving effortless, which can help compensate for the extra you’ll be paying in tax. 

The Audi A5 is also a stylish alternative to the more traditional BMW 3 Series, while still having a good amount of practicality and comfort. 

By developing an all-new version of the A5, Audi hopes to steal a march on rivals who are now largely focusing on electric cars. There are still plenty of car buyers who don’t yet want to go EV, and they may well find the Audi A5 could be right for them.

At launch, the Audi A5 comes with petrol and diesel engines offering the mildest type of hybrid tech – fittingly, it’s called mild hybrid, or MHEV. In essence, they are normal petrol and diesel motors with just a bit of electric assistance working in the background. 

All Audi A5 engines are paired with an S tronic automatic gearbox. The entry-level 2.0-litre TFSI engine produces 150PS. There is a more powerful 204PS alternative. Both of them drive the front wheels. 

Many traditional Audi A5 customers may prefer to stick with the fuel-sipping diesel engines they know and love. There is a 2.0-litre TDI with 204PS that drives the front wheels – and Audi also offers the same engine with quattro four-wheel drive. 

The Audi A5 is available in a well-liked range of Sport and S line trims, along with a special launch Edition 1 version. There is also a range-topping Audi S5, which has a potent 3.0-litre TFSI V6 petrol engine that produces 367PS. 

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. 

Electric cars similar to the Audi A5 include the Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal, BMW i4 and Volkswagen ID.7. Company car drivers who want to drive the most tax-efficient choice will automatically go for electric rather than one of the more traditional choices. 

On the face of it, the Audi A5 is a high-quality car with a premium finish. The upper dashboard has a sleek shine, with highly polished gloss black plastics combining with tactile soft-touch plastics. It’s ultra-cool and modern, with fashionable features such as the anodised black doorhandles. 

The dashboard is packed with displays and ‘virtual’ controls. The Digital Stage is the centrepiece, but there are further touch-sensitive buttons on the centre console and driver’s door – all backlit with cool, intense bright white. 

The trouble is, once you start using it, this all gets coveted in fingerprints, which does chip away at the sleek finish. And if you pry a little further, you’ll find that some of the plastics lower down are a bit harder and more unyielding than some Audi customers will be used to. Meanwhile, some will long for the tactility of traditional buttons in Audi’s digital-first interior.

This free-standing infotainment system comprises an 11.9-inch digital display for the driver and an enlarged 14.5-inch MMI touch display in the centre. If you want to go the whole hog, an optional 10.9-inch MMI screen for the front seat passenger is available, allowing them to set the sat nav, control the audio and even see how fast you’re going. 

The latest Audi MMI system does take a bit of getting used to. It’s now fully controlled by touch, rather than through a central controller, and the menus require familiarisation. There is a permanently-displayed shortcut section to the right of the central display, but this isn’t fully intuitive at first glance, and can be hidden by the steering wheel. And instead of physical heater controls, heating and air con is now controlled by a strip in the bottom of the screen. 

The driver display is configurable – there are no fewer than three trip computer options – but it doesn’t quite have the flexibility of Audi’s previous system. For example, you can’t get full screen sat nav mapping in front of the driver. 

Audi’s answer here is an optional head-up display that’s among the most crisp and clear we’ve seen. The configurable multi-colour display perfectly shows sat nav directions, speed and more. Drivers can even control vehicle and infotainment functions via the head-up display, adding further to its functionality.

The Audi A5 has a smaller boot than the previous Audi A4. It is down from 460 litres to 445 litres – which shrinks further to 417 litres in the diesel. On the flip side, the boot is now a hatchback, rather than a saloon, which pays dividends in terms of usability. 

The large boot lid reveals a huge opening that’s easy to lean into. This means retrieving items even right at the back is easier – a useful feature given the generous length and width of the boot. It’s only in terms of height that space falls a bit short, but it’s still more than roomy enough for most. 

The Audi A5 has 40:20:40 split rear seats. Fold them down and the space expands to 1299 litres. 

With a longer wheelbase than the previous Audi A4, legroom in the rear of the Audi A5 is much improved. There’s decent space under the front seats for feet, and the rear seat is comfortable to sit on as well. The only restrictions are a rather large centre tunnel and a sloping roofline that taller adults may find restrictive – although there is a ‘cutout’ channel in the roof lining that gives extra clearance. 

The choice of Audi A5 engines at launch is simple. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI comes in either 150PS or 204PS guise, both with front-wheel drive. The 2.0 TFSI 150 has 0-62mph performance in 9.8 seconds, which usefully drops to 7.8 seconds in 204PS guise. 

The diesel Audi A5 2.0-litre TDI is only available in 204PS guise. The front-wheel drive has 0-62mph performance in 7.7 seconds. The extra traction of quattro four-wheel drive cuts this to just 6.9 seconds – that’s almost hot hatch levels of acceleration. 

The Audi S5 has a lovely 3.0-litre TFSI V6. This replaces the diesel engine in the previous Audi S5. It has variable turbine geometry for the turbo which, with the MHEV system, makes it extra-responsive. The Audi S5 also has a quattro sport differential with torque vectoring, helping deliver its more incisive handling. 

All Audi A5 have a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission. The gearlever is a flush-fit rectangular toggle on the centre console, which allows you to quickly switch into sport mode which holds onto gears longer for a more immediate response. 

The Audi A5’s refinement is generally very good. Levels of wind noise are subdued, even at speed, thanks to that slippery body shape. The engines fade into the background as well. 

One thing that could be better is road noise, as some surfaces do seem to generate a bit too much background roar. You’ll notice this as the road surfaces change, and noise levels quickly rise and fall. 

In contrast to electric car silence, you do notice the engines. The 2.0-litre TFSI generally fades into the background with an anodyne whoosh. The S5’s V6 sounds expensive and harmonious, especially in ‘sport’ mode. The four-cylinder TDI has the clatter at low speeds you’d associate with a diesel – Audi hasn’t worked any modern magic here. But it does ease off once up to speed and isn’t particularly objectionable once you get used to it. 

The 48-volt MHEV system in the TDI and S5 also add to in-city refinement by regularly shutting down the engine. In the TDI, the ability to gently drive along in engine-off electric mode brings a sophisticated feel, taking away some of that diesel rumble you’d otherwise notice. 

The Audi A5 has been awarded an excellent safety score by independent test body Euro NCAP. It scored five stars overall, with 87% for adult safety, 88% for child safety, 78% for pedestrian safety and 77% for safety assist. 

As with all new cars, there’s a plethora of safety assist technology as standard, including crash avoidance systems and even warnings that alert you if you’re going over the speed limit. 

These systems can be turned off if you wish – with lane keep assist being deactivated by a handy button on the indicator stalk. You can also set a button on the steering wheel to easily turn off the speed limit warning bleep. 

The Audi A5 comes with the firm’s familiar three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. This can be extended to four years and 75,000 miles, or five years and 90,000 miles, at an added cost. 

In the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, Audi placed amongst the most unreliable car brands. The experts said its problems appear to be limited to ageing and high-mileage versions of the A4 and A6, with owners complaining they are expensive to repair and generally unreliable. Encouragingly, newer models perform much better, which bodes well for the Audi A5. 

The Audi A5  2.0 TFSI 150 opens with a low group 24 insurance rating. Both TFSI 204 petrol and TDI 204 diesel are similar in terms of car insurance (31 and 33 respectively). As the Audi A5 doesn’t have the extra complexity and expensive of electric car batteries, annual premiums should be lower. 

Of course, higher CO2 emissions mean the Audi A5 will be a more expensive proposition for company car drivers. The minuscule Benefit-in-Kind tax rates of EVs do not apply here. This will restrict the A5’s popularity in the fleet sector, although this isn’t something that will affect private car buyers, who may be more impressed with the A5’s greater affordability compared to pure electric alternatives such as the BMW i4.  

With CO2 emissions from 127g/km, the Audi A5 2.0 TDI’s first-year tax rate starts from £220. This jumps to £680 for the higher-emission 2.0 TFSI. 

After the first year, the standard flat rate of £190 applies to all versions of the Audi A5. Here, electric car alternatives will soon not have an advantage, with EVs liable for the same yearly Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) as ICE cars from April 2025. 

However, as all Audi A5 cost over £40,000, it means all are subject to the Expensive Car Supplement, which adds £425 a year to the standard rate between years two to six. 

The Audi A5 range opens with Sport trim. This lives up to its name with 18-inch alloy wheels and Sport styling that extends to the bumpers, grille, air inlets, plus a rear spoiler and diffuser. LED headlights are backed up by LED rear lights, complete with dynamic indicators and an illuminated light strip. 

Inside, the 14.5-inch OLED MMI Navigation system is standard, along with the Digital Stage driver display. There’s three-zone climate control, while the seats are trimmed in leather upholstery, with the front sports seats heated. 

Other equipment highlights include multi-colour ambient LED lighting, a reversing camera, parking system plus with 360 camera, adaptive cruise control and hill hold assist. 

The Audi A5 S line adds 19-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension and dedicated S line styling for the bumpers, grille, air inlets, rear spoiler and diffuser. It also has rear privacy glass. 

Inside, there are sports seats with S embossing, and the three-spoke steering wheel with shift paddles is flattened at the top and bottom. A black cloth headlining adds a sporty touch, while aluminium door sill inserts have an illuminated ‘S’ logo. 

Audi S5 models have extras including 20-inch wheels, S sports suspension with damper control, a bespoke S5 body styling kit, digital OLED tail lights, Bang & Olufsen premium sound system and a multitude of other goodies.