Audi A5 e-hybrid

FIRST DRIVE Fleet-focused A5 PHEV doesn't excite, but is as well rounded as we've come to expect from Audi

- Steve Walker [e-mail]

PLUG-in hybrid cars, depending on who you believe, are either a wasteful technological dead-end or a sensible compromise and valuable stepping stone to pure-electric vehicles. The truth, as ever, is more nuanced - but the Audi A5 e-hybrid could actually be arriving at an opportune moment with the future of PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) looking clearer, and brighter.

It now looks like hybrids will remain on sale beyond the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, while the efficiency of PHEV tech is on the up, pushing running costs down. It's good news for Audi, as long as its plug-in A5 can elevate itself above rivals such as the BMW 330e and Mercedes C 300 e.

The e-hybrid versions of the Audi A5 sit near the top of the mainstream model range, below the performance-focused S5 variants. The standard 2.0-litre TDI petrol and diesel are nothing special in terms of efficiency, but for around £3,000 more than the equivalent 52mpg TDI you can have a 140mpg plug-in e-hybrid PHEV with an official allelectric range of well over 60 miles. Audi reckons that proposition will net the e-hybrid models around 25 per cent of total A5 sales in the UK.

As always with PHEVs, the caveat is that you have to charge them up regularly to access the best efficiency. The official tests do, however, suggest the A5 will return 43.5mpg on an empty battery. That's a solid showing which addresses a key issue with some older plug-in cars: they become horribly inefficient when the battery is flat. It's also slightly better than the equivalent 40mpg figure achieved by the BMW 330e, or the 37mpg of the Mercedes C 300 e.