Audi A6 e-tron

BMW i5 rival uses the same tech as the Q6 e-tron SUV for serious pace and range On sale Late 2024 Price from £62,000 (est)

- Steve Huntingford

AUDI LAUNCHED THE world's first high-performance estate back in 1994, and now, 30 years later, its new A6 e-tron is showing that there's still a place for such cars in the electric era. Available in both Avant (Audi-speak for estate) and Sportback (hatchback) forms, it can blast from 0-62mph in 3.9sec if you go for the 543bhp S6 model. But even the cheapest version at launch - the 362bhp Performance lives up to its name, requiring only 5.4sec.

If anything, range is even more impressive, with the S6 officially capable of covering up to 398 miles between charges as an Avant and 416 miles if you go for the Sportback (thanks to that car's superior aerodynamics). Meanwhile, with the Performance, those figures rise to 447 miles and 466 miles respectively.

By comparison, the rival BMW i5 has a maximum range of 356 miles as a saloon and 344 miles in Touring estate form. And even the saloon-only Mercedes-Benz EQE which went farther than any other electric car in our most recent real-world range test officially maxes out at 429 miles.