Audi SQ8 e-tron 2025: Price, consumption, picture, technical data.
A 496 hp electric drive gives the Audi SQ8 e-tron a kick in the pants and a credible place among the brand’s hot models.
Audi SQ8 e-tron
Based on the comfort-focused Q8 e-tron SUV and available in two entirely conventional-looking body styles – Squareback and Fastback (dubbed Sportback) – the SQ8 e-tron duo offers much the same luxury treatment as their tamer cousins, but with a sportier .
What’s new ?
The SQ8 e-tron is a new nameplate for the Audi lineup for the model year. It is essentially a rebranded version of the e-tron S SUV, with no significant changes to the Squareback and Sportback body styles.
Audi hasn’t released pricing for the SQ8 e-tron yet, but we expect it to follow the same trim structure as the e-tron S. While it’s possible to spend six figures on an SQ8 e-tron, we think the one to buy is the entry-level Premium Plus trim. It comes standard with all the luxury and convenience features you’d expect – including a panoramic sunroof, genuine leather upholstery, and four-zone automatic climate control – without having to add a single option package.
EV Motor, Power and Performance
While the SQ8 e-tron shares its platform with the Q8 e-tron, it has a more powerful three-motor electric powertrain that produces 496bhp. We haven’t tested it yet, but Audi estimates it can hit 100km/h a full second sooner than the Q8 e-tron. Based on our test of an e-tron Sportback, that means the SQ8 could hit 100km/h in around four seconds – but our testing will confirm whether that’s the case once we put it against the clock.
Because there are two electric motors on the rear axle rather than just one, the SQ8 e-tron can mimic a torque-vectoring differential by sending more power to the outside rear wheel when needed to improve cornering. We drove a prototype on a race track back when it was called the e-tron S and found it easy to execute tire-destroying, smoketastic drifts.
We’re not sure what SQ8 buyers will do with this ability in the real world, but watch for smoke signals. In normal driving, the SQ8’s handling is confident and reasonably sporty, but don’t expect the same crisp responses you find in other Audi S-brand models.
Range, charging and battery life
All SQ8 e-tron models feature a 106.0 kWh battery pack that can be charged via a 170 kW DC fast-charging port. Audi says this battery should give the SQ8 e-tron a range of 307 miles per charge, but that’s according to the notoriously optimistic European WLTP test cycle. We believe the EPA will give a rating of around 400 km, but that’s not official yet.
Interior, comfort and cargo
The SQ8 e-tron’s cabin is hushed when cruising, with plenty of room for adults in both rows of seats. The first impression is that of a largely digital experience, as the SQ8 e-tron’s dashboard is packed with several high-resolution screens, including Audi’s digital instrument cluster – called Virtual Cockpit – and two flush-mounted touchscreens in the center.
Of course, there are also a wealth of upscale features, including leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, four-zone automatic climate control, heated front and rear seats, a power rear tailgate and a power-adjustable steering column – all standard.
Price
At the time of writing, the exact price of the Audi SQ8 e-tron is unknown. Audi only shared the base price of the standard Q8 e-tron in Germany at €74,400 – so we estimate that the new e-tron SQ8 will cost around $92,000.
Among competitors, the BMW iX is unrivaled – for better or for worse. The iX xDrive50 delivers more power than the e-tron SQ8 (516 hp) and the MSRP starts at $84,100.
Since the launch of the e-tron SUV, the price of the Tesla Model X has skyrocketed. It now starts at a staggering $120,990, despite seating up to seven people and taking just 3.8 seconds to reach 100 km per hour.
