Audi A6 Avant e-tron

Audi's large executive model switches to electric power, with the estate version taking on the BMW i5 Touring On sale Now Price from £64,300

- DAN JONES

IF YOU THINK aerodynamics are important only for supercars and racing cars, it might surprise you to learn that the new A6 e-tron is the slipperiest car Audi has ever made. True, that's in Sportback guise, but even the Avant estate version is as aerodynamically efficient as the E-tron GT performance car.

But why is this important for an electric vehicle (EV) that's designed primarily for covering long distances in comfort? Well, the ease with which an EV moves through the air has a direct impact on how far you can travel between charges.

Of course, battery size also plays an important role, but the A6 e-tron has that covered, too. You see, even the entry-level Sport version comes with a 75.8kWh usable battery capacity and offers an official range of up to 364 miles in Avant guise (as tested). That's farther than the BMW i5 Touring eDrive40 can manage, but a fair bit less than the cheaper Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer Pro S Match's official figure.

Stepping up to Sport Performance trim increases the battery size to 94.9kWh (usable) and increases the official range to 437 miles (farther than both rivals), or 418 miles if you opt for quattro four-wheel drive.

Maximum charging rates vary depending on which battery you choose; the smaller one accepts up to 225kW and the larger one 270kW.

Either way, you can get from 10-80% in as little as 21 minutes in ideal conditions. Plug in to a 7kW home charger and the smaller battery will take around 12hr 15min to go from 0-100% and the big battery 15hr 15min.