Introduction to the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
Audi's oddball model numbering system - 35, 40, 50, 55 etc - which was predicated on a range of power outputs measured in kilowatts, is being phased out. The confusion over broader model names too - even numbers for EVs and odd numbers for car with combustion engines - has also been for the most part abandoned, which is why, although this A5 is essentially the replacement for the old Audi A4, there is also now an A6 lineup that's split in two between two entirely separate cars, one electric and the other combustion-powered.
Let's step back from the confusion and look solely at this A5, which thankfully is fairly confusion-free. OK, so some of you are still expecting the A5 to be a coupe, and this - being badged as an Avant - is definitely an estate, but Audi has gone down a simpler route with the rest of its name, as “e-hybrid” straightforwardly denotes a plug-in hybrid model.
And this is our first chance to drive the A5 with its new 'long-range' PHEV system.
Pros & cons of the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid
Pros: Very high quality, sleek styling, comfortable cabin, brisk performance, useful electric range
Cons: Tiny boot, small back seats, lacks the handling verve of a BMW
Irish pricing & rivals of the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
• Tempting entry-level price
• Options are expensive
• Way more affordable than some rivals
The A5 e-hybrid has a starting price of €61,400 in Avant estate form, or €57,500 if you're happy enough with the fastback version. Those prices compare very well with the standard petrol and diesel versions of the Audi A5, especially once you take the extra performance and electric versatility of the e-hybrid into account.
The entry-level SE version comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, wireless phone charging, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, single-zone air conditioning, selectable driving modes, electric tailgate, rear parking sensors, a 14.5-inch infotainment screen and an 11.9-inch driver's digital instrument display, built-in navigation, four USB sockets, and a heat-insulated and acoustically glazed windscreen.
Upgrade to the S line model - the spec of our test car - and that will cost you €62,955 for the e-hybrid A5, or €66,850 for the e-hybrid Avant. S line spec includes a sportier body kit, 19-inch alloys finished in graphite grey, a mixture of leather and artificial leather for the - sportier bucket-style design - seats, sports suspension, a sports steering wheel, stainless steel pedals and ambient cabin lighting.
Go for the top-spec Competition model - €68,350 for the fastback or €72,250 for the Avant - and you'll also get black exterior trim, bigger disc brakes with red calipers, electric folding door mirrors, upgraded LED lights front and rear, electrically adjustable seats, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera and parking assistance.
It's notable that such items - adaptive cruise control, parking assistant and a rear-view camera - are only standard on the top-spec model so the A5's options list is long and deeply expensive.
The €10,000 worth of extras fitted to our test car was accounted for almost in a single option pack called the Tech Plus Package, which added front and rear side airbags, adaptive cruise control, headlight cleaning, a surround-view camera system, Matrix LED headlights, auto-dimming door mirrors and an additional touchscreen for the front seat passenger. The balance of the options was an additional €1,100 for the metallic 'Glacier White' paint.
Against the BMW 3 Series, in its 330e plug-in hybrid form, the A5 is right on the money in terms of cost and its lengthy options list, and both cars will go about as far on electric power on one charge. However, the Audi is almost ridiculously cheaper than the equivalent Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid estate, the C 300 e. Even with the options-in price of our test car, it's still undercutting the Merc by as much as €10,000.
Audi currently has a PCP finance package for the A5 e-hybrid with monthly repayments starting from €479 on 2.9 per cent interest.
Exterior & design of the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
• Handsome exterior
• Slightly predictable
• Looks too plain in white
It's become something of a stand-up comedian's joke about how German cars only come in grey, silver, or variations thereof. That's kind of true (the A5's colour options list is a touch monochromatic), but it's not entirely the case. There is the option of a lovely 'Grenadine Red Metallic', which is only about the same cost as the too-plain Glacier White of our test car. Or maybe you could go for the rich 'Firmament Blue Metallic'. Or just go for grey - everyone likes grey, right?
The A5 Avant feels compact and low-slung in comparison to any SUV, and its exterior dimensions are:
Length: 4,829mm
Width: 1,860mm
Height: 1,478mm
Wheelbase: 2,900mm
That's almost 200mm lower down than an Audi Q5 SUV, with some fairly predictable effects on aerodynamic performance (and, equally, on interior space as we shall see).
Is the styling just as predictable? Yes, a bit. Audi has been into the big-grille-slim-lights groove for some time now, and while we should (a) be thankful that the brand hasn't gone down the massive grille look of BMW and (b) point out that this is unquestionably a very handsome car, it is also a touch middle-of-the-road.
Perhaps the arrival of Massimo Frascella as Audi head of design (he's responsible for, among other things, the Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Defender) indicates the change of more striking design ahead. Certainly, the gorgeous Audi Concept C sports car, shown off at the recent Munich motor show, would suggest that's the case.
Interior, practicality, tech & comfort of the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
• Solid quality
• Some physical buttons
• Tight on space
Remember what I said back there about the sleek shape and low-slung nature (relative to an SUV) exacting a penalty? Well, that penalty is in the cabin, and there's a distinct lack of space.
Up front is fine. There's plenty of legroom and headroom, and the driver's seat adjusts really low for a driving position that feels almost sports-car-like, which is nice. A manually adjusted seat in a €77k car, though? That feels a bit stingy. Equally, beware if you have big feet, because the transmission tunnel means the pedals are shoved to the right a bit, and there's not a huge gap between the brake and accelerator.
In the back seats, legroom is adequate, but nothing special. Adults will fit, but you'll hear more complaints from them than if you were driving a Q5. The biggest issue is the boot. Estates are supposed to be, and generally are, practical, but the Audi A5 Avant has a boot that's only slightly larger, up to the luggage cover, than its fastback counterpart. Still, 476 litres is a decent bit of space, right?
Well, yes, it is, but the e-hybrid's battery eats dramatically into that, leaving you with just 361 litres of luggage volume. Or, in other words, less than you'd get in a VW Golf hatchback. Even a BMW 330e Touring, with its own truncated trunk, manages more than that, at 410 litres.
On the upside, the A5's cabin looks and feels very good, although the massive 14.5-inch touchscreen kind of overwhelms the cabin a bit. It's fine to use, and although I'd say the graphics don't look quite expensive enough it is responsive. Mind you, some of the menus are a bit too deep and a bit too arcane. Thankfully, Audi has kept a few physical controls, including a simple stereo volume knob (other Volkswagen Group brands please take note) and the simple column stalks feel good to use.
The main instruments are, somewhat surprisingly, not as adjustable nor as customisable as you'd think, but they are an object lesson in presenting lots of information very clearly and simply so bravo Audi for that.
Storage space up front in the cabin is only OK - there's a rubber-lined mobile phone charging tray at the base of the centre console, and a pair of slightly small cupholders which, if you've put a bottle of fizzy drink in there, means you'll have to bend your arm awkwardly around to reach that physical volume knob. There's storage under the armrest, too, but it's quite shallow, although the door bins are fairly decent in size.
Commendably, there are three ISOFIX anchor points - two in the back and one in the front passenger seat.
Performance of the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
• Really quite rapid
• Excellent ride quality
• Could be more fun
One thing that really strikes you about the way the A5 e-hybrid Avant drives is just how viciously quick it seems at times. There are many plug-in-hybrid models which come with impressive power outputs, but which never seem to quite be able to deliver proper muscle-car performance when their engine and electric motor are turning together. Not so the Audi A5, although you do have to select the 'Dynamic' driving mode for it to be at its best.
Once in Dynamic, nailing the throttle from a standing start gives you a distinctly EV-like sense of initial acceleration as the electric motor that's built into the S tronic gearbox dumps all of its 350Nm of torque through all four wheels at once. This being a quattro, traction is immense, and because the electric motor is coupled to the gearbox, it means you have electric four-wheel drive too.
I'm not sure if the engine picks up the slack as the electric motor's initial urge fades, or if they're just both pulling together as hard as they can all at once, but either way the A5 e-hybrid's acceleration feels strong enough that the on-paper 5.9-second 0-100km/h time seems almost pessimistic. There is a more powerful version, with 367hp, but to be honest you really don't need it. The only downside is that the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine sounds a little anodyne when you rev it.
When it comes to corners, the A5's lack of bulk and height becomes a major boon, as the Avant feels properly agile and pretty much painted to the road, a sensation helped again by that quattro drivetrain. The steering has that weighty, slightly distant feel that's traditional to Audi, so it's not as sharp as a BMW 3 Series for the driver, but beneath that you can feel that there's utter competency going on, and the A5 e-hybrid shrugs off its two-tonne kerb weight and feels far more nimble than you'd expect.
The ride comfort is excellent too, even on the passive dampers of our test car. Yes, there's a Germanic firmness there, but the A5 e-hybrid Avant copes really impressively with bumps and lumps, smoothing them out nicely, even if it can't quite smother them entirely.
Refinement is excellent too, aside from a touch of tyre noise at motorway speeds, so this is an excellent long-haul car.
Running costs of the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
• Genuine 100km electric range
• Decent long-run economy
• Only charges on AC outlets
The A5's big battery might cost you boot space, but there are fringe benefits. The biggest benefit is a genuinely useful electric-only range. Audi quotes range of 114km, and while you might expect that to evaporate in real-world usage, it actually doesn't. Indeed, taken on a long motorway run, driving in EV-only mode, and cruising at 100km/h to 120km/h, we managed to get 98km up on the trip meter before the engine kicked in, which is very good indeed.
Long-range driving economy also seems good. Starting with a fully charged battery, and driving for 270km on a mixture of motorway, city and country roads saw a return of 4.9 litres per 100km.
However, there's a catch. This A5 e-hybrid can't be charged on fast DC chargers, which does limit your options for topping up the battery when on a long journey. It can only charge on AC power, at up to 11kW, which is fine if you're charging at home and doing shorter urban hops on electric power - which in fairness is the most likely use case - but does mean that you can't give it a quick jolt of charge when it's handy to.
DC charging isn't even an options list upgrade, which seems odd when you think that a VW Golf e-hybrid can charge at 50kW on DC power, as standard.
Verdict - should you buy the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant?
It's a thumbs-up, thumbs-down verdict for the A5 e-hybrid. The lack of space counts against it, but then the performance and economy of the plug-in-hybrid system are truly impressive, and the cabin looks and feels like a quality effort.
FAQs about the 2025 Audi A5 e-hybrid Avant
What is the boot capacity of the Audi A5 Avant?
It depends on the model. The standard petrol and diesel versions have a 476-litre boot (up to the luggage cover), but this e-hybrid version sees that space fall to 361 litres, thanks to the battery taking up space.
Is there an Audi A5 coupe still?
We're afraid now, as the name carries on in the shape of this Avant estate and related fastback model, effectively replacing the old Audi A4. The previous A5 Coupe is gone, though, which is a shame. Hopefully, the unveiling of Audi's recent Concept C means it's going to get back into making coupes.
What are the pros and cons of buying an A5?
The pros are that it looks smart, is good to drive and, in this e-hybrid form, has an impressive mix of performance and economy. The cons are that it's not that large inside and the e-hybrid loses out on a lot of boot space, too.
How many child car seats can I get into an Audi A5?
There are three ISOFIX points in the A5, two in the back seat and one in the front passenger seat. The centre rear seat is narrow, though, so you might struggle to get a third seat or even a booster cushion in there.
What is the safety rating of the Audi A5?
As tested in 2024, the A5 has a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, including an 87 per cent score for adult occupant protection, an 88 per cent score for child occupants, 78 per cent score for vulnerable road users, and a 77 per cent score for its active safety systems. You can read the full Euro NCAP report here.
Want to know more about the Audi A5?
If there's anything about the Audi A5 we've not covered, or you'd like help in choosing between it and other cars, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.
