Introduction to the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
The Audi Q4 e-tron is a premium electric SUV designed to compete with the likes of the BMW iX1 and iX2, the Mercedes EQA and the Volvo EX40 and EC40, among others.
It is sold in two body styles, as the regular SUV and as the Sportback, and it uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform for zero-emission vehicles - linking it to the VW ID.4 and ID.5, the Skoda Enyaq and the Cupra Tavascan.
The Q4 e-tron represents one of the least expensive and most compact ways of getting into an electric Audi, backed up by the brand's promise of excellent interior build quality and a useful amount of driving range across the line-up.
Pros & cons of the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
Pros:
• High-tech, high-quality cabin
• Useful amount of range
• Very pleasant to travel in
Cons:
• Not memorable to drive
• Ho-hum charging speeds
• Quite pricey
Exterior & design of the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
• Discreet, aerodynamic appearance
• Two different body styles
• 19- to 21-inch wheels offered
There is nothing particularly distinctive about the Audi Q4 e-tron's appearance, which has been designed to fit into the company's hierarchy of other 'e-tron' EVs, such as the Q6 and Q8 SUVs.
It is clearly an Audi, of course, with slim light clusters, chunky flanks and minimalist detailing, but the Q4 is not especially handsome or eye-catching.
Visual changes introduced in 2026 include making the 'Singleframe' grille body-coloured and reshaping its profile, which in turn brought subtle alterations to the front bumper.
The rear bumper was tidied up too, while the LED lights gained the configurable signatures seen on other Audis. Owners can select from four different design patterns for the head- and taillight clusters using the MMI screen in the dashboard.
On basic Advance models, the Q4 e-tron comes on 19- or 20-inch wheels, while the S line runs on 20-inch rims as standard and 21-inch wheels as an option.
In terms of the two body styles, the Sportback is 18mm lower than the SUV and slightly more aerodynamic (with a coefficient of drag of 0.26 versus 0.27), but dimensionally they are otherwise identical - so you are really choosing between them on aesthetic preference.
Dimensions of the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
Length: 4,603mm
Width: 1,865mm (excluding mirrors)
Height: 1,632mm (1,614mm for the Sportback)
Wheelbase: 2,765mm
Paint colours for the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
Audi offers just six paint colours for the Q4 e-tron, but all of them are included in the price. There is one solid finish, called Pebble Grey, and then five metallics - Mythos Black, Glacier White, Plasma Blue, Tambora Grey and Sage Green.
Interior, practicality, tech & comfort of the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
• Large 'Digital Stage' interface
• Good material quality
• Plenty of space
The major change for the 2026-on cars was the introduction of the Digital Stage interface, which has already been seen in other Audis - such as the A5, A6, Q3 and Q5 - before making its way into the Q4 e-tron.
Otherwise, it is as you would expect inside: solid construction and broadly superb material finishing, although the quality of the plastics in the Q4 e-tron does deteriorate somewhat in the rear.
Getting comfortable in the driver's seat
All front seats in the Audi Q4 e-tron range are manually adjustable, as is the reach-and-rake steering column, while electrically adjustable front seats with a memory function are on the options list.
Nevertheless, there is a wide range of adjustment available to drivers of all builds and physiques no matter how the seats move, while visibility out of the car is fine in all directions - if a little more restricted through the rear-view mirror of the Sportback than in the SUV.
Infotainment and technology
The Digital Stage dashboard array consists of at least an 11.9-inch cluster housed next to the central 12.8-inch MMI infotainment screen.
Options to sit alongside this include the 12-inch passenger panel and an augmented-reality head-up display.
All of this works well, but some will miss the fact that the Q4 e-tron - before its facelift - had a separate physical panel of climate-control buttons, whereas all of the in-car temperature functions are now run through the touchscreen instead.
Thankfully, Audi is pretty good at ergonomics, even digital ones, so operating the Digital Stage is not an exercise in frustration.
Further tech fitted to even the base-spec Q4 e-tron includes twin inductive-charging pads for smartphones in the front, an eight-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control and front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, so the kit list is generous across the board.
Practicality around the cabin
The central console area incorporates the wireless smartphone-charging bays, two cupholders, an under-dash storage area including USB ports and a central cubby underneath an armrest lid.
There is also a fair-sized glovebox and door pockets, but our favourite practicality feature in the Audi Q4 e-tron is the dedicated bottle receptacle neatly incorporated into a higher level on each of the door cards, positioned at an angle just in front of the window switches.
Rear-seat passenger space
Even in the Sportback, headroom in the back of the Audi Q4 e-tron is generous enough that six-footers will be comfortable, although if you regularly carry people taller than that in the back then you might want the SUV variant instead.
Either way, legroom is plentiful and, with a completely flat floor in the second row, sitting three across the back bench is possible - although the centre-rear seat is a little higher and firmer than the two positions flanking it.
Appointments in the back include a 12-volt socket and two USB-C ports, plus - on models equipped with these items - vents and controls for the three-zone climate control and heated-seat switches. All of these are housed on the back of the central console between the front seats.
There are also deep door bins in the back as well as neat bottle holders higher up, two elasticated cargo-net map pockets on the rear faces of the front seats and a fold-down centre armrest complete with two inline cupholders.
Fitting child seats to the Audi Q4 e-tron
Audi has clearly designed the Q4 e-tron to cater to families, as there are three ISOFIX mounting points, complete with top tethers, in the electric SUV - two in the back and one on the front-passenger seat.
Given the amount of space in all sections of the Audi's interior, and the size of its doors, fitting even the largest and bulkiest of child seats in the Q4 should be straightforward.
Boot space in the Audi Q4 e-tron
Whichever Q4 e-tron body style you go for, you get a competitive boot area. In the SUV, it measures 515 litres with all seats in use and up to 1,487 litres with the rear 40:20:40 split-folding seats dropped down.
Curiously, the Sportback offers more room with a full complement of passengers on board, at 527 litres, but slightly less in two-seat format due to its sloping tailgate - it will take up to 1,460 litres of luggage as such. There is no 'frunk' on either version of the Q4.
Features in the boot include underfloor storage for the charging cables, a couple of moulded hooks in the luggage cover's running rails, lashing eyes, cargo nets and even a socket for vehicle-to-load functions.
Safety in the Audi Q4 e-tron
Tested by independent safety body Euro NCAP in 2025, the Audi Q4 e-tron picked up the top five-star overall rating, with sub scores of 91, 87, 79 and 73 per cent respectively for protection of adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist. Take a look at the full in-depth report here.
Performance of the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
• Two power outputs offered
• Rear-wheel drive only in Ireland
• Base car is quick enough
Audi uprated the efficiency of the rear electric motor in all versions of its Q4 e-tron SUV in 2026 which is pertinent to us here in Ireland as we do not take any of the quattro-badged all-wheel-drive variants of the EV, meaning every Q4 here is rear-wheel drive.
The entry-level car, simply called the Q4 e-tron, has a smaller battery, and outputs of 204hp allied to 350Nm from its electric motor, making it good for 0-100km/h in 8.1 seconds.
Moving up from there, the Q4 e-tron performance is still two-wheel drive, but it has 286hp and 545Nm, bringing its 0-100km/h time down to 6.6 seconds - despite the fact it is 111kg heavier than the 204hp car.
Driving the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback on German roads
Words by Matt Robinson on 24 June, 2026
While the Audi Q4 e-tron is a competent, supremely quiet and pleasantly comfortable car, it is not a particularly memorable one. It does not feel appreciably different from any number of similar, cheaper electric SUVs in this market segment.
We drove the base-powertrain Sportback and were impressed by the sheer mechanical refinement of the thing. EVs tend to be quiet and smooth, but even by those standards the Audi is ahead of the curve.
Whether you are ambling about town, flowing along a faster extra-urban route, or travelling on the motorway at 110km/h and more, the ride comfort of the Q4 e-tron is always exemplary, and the minimisation of exterior noise is excellent.
Furthermore, the major controls are light but sweetly calibrated, so the steering feels effortless and the brake system does a decent job of blending regenerative deceleration with friction braking, while various levels of regen are available through the wheel-mounted paddles.
In short, it is as relaxing and undemanding as vehicles like this come. Of course, you will have read between the lines and realised that 'undemanding' rarely goes hand in hand with 'invigorating'.
And so the Q4 proves. If you want even a modicum of excitement from the way your electric SUV goes down the road, do not pick this Audi. It is safe, inert and comprehensively tied down in the corners, while neither the steering nor feedback through the wheel and seat base is informative enough to encourage spirited driving.
What we will say, to finish this section on a positive, is that you do not need any more real-world performance than the 204hp/350Nm Q4 can serve up.
We later drove a Q4 e-tron quattro performance, complete with 340hp and more than 545Nm of torque, resulting in a 5.4-second 0-100km/h time - but, once both cars were rolling, the mid-speed responsiveness of the two Audis did not seem that far apart.
The base rear-wheel-drive variant is more than swift enough for most buyers' needs.
Range, battery, charging and running costs of the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
• Two batteries offered
• Nearly 600km of range
• Charge speeds only middling
For the Q4 e-tron range, there are two battery packs and subtly different charging speeds associated with each.
Updates from 2026 include bidirectional charging - vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) capabilities - and slightly faster DC charging rates for certain models, although no Q4 e-tron is ultra-rapid in this department.
Battery options and official range
All battery packs in the Audi Q4 e-tron line are nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion units. The basic rear-driven variant is fitted with a 62kWh gross, 59kWh usable battery and is said to go up to 440km as an SUV, and a little further as a Sportback due to its greater aerodynamic efficiency - it can achieve 451km.
Of all Q4 e-trons, for all markets, the other rear-wheel-drive version sold here is the longest-legged of the lot. It has the 82kWh gross, 77kWh usable pack, shared with the quattro derivatives, and that gives it an official range of 578km as an SUV and 592km as a Sportback.
Real-world range and efficiency of the Audi Q4 e-tron
We drove the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback on a 160km looping route away from Munich airport towards the scenic Tegernsee area of Germany, which forms the northern foothills of the Alps.
There was Autobahn running at higher speeds, mixed in with a good amount of country roads with a 100km/h limit and some in-town driving. The ambient temperatures were hot, rising from 25 degrees C to nearer 30 during the course of the day, so the in-car climate control was running constantly.
With all that in mind, 15.2kWh/100km was showing after the first 80km, although that consumption increased later to 16.7kWh/100km by the end of the loop.
These are both excellent efficiency numbers in the real world for a two-tonne electric SUV like this, and indeed the car suggested that, having done 160km from being 100 per cent charged, it could go another 337km on the remaining 62 per cent; the Audi therefore reckoning it could achieve nearer to 500km, rather than 450km.
While we're dubious about the optimism of the trip computer, the efficiency is impressive for an EV with a comparatively small battery like the entry-level Q4 e-tron.
Charging up the Audi Q4 e-tron
The base-grade Audi Q4 e-tron charges at up to 160kW on DC outlets while the other single-motor variant manages 165kW.
The base car would therefore take 27 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent charge at its fastest, while the long-range Q4 e-tron performance would require 29 minutes for the same cycle.
All Q4s peak at 11kW on AC, with a 10-100 per cent charge taking more than eight hours for the 59kWh battery and something in the region of 11 hours for the 77kWh unit on a typical 7.4kW domestic wallbox.
Servicing the Audi Q4 e-tron
Audi offers a variety of fixed-price service plans that apply to the Q4 e-tron, although as it is an electric vehicle, maintenance is stretched out to a two-year, 30,000km interval.
Audi Q4 e-tron warranty
Audi provides a three-year warranty on all new cars, but while it is unlimited-distance cover for the first two years, a 90,000km distance cap comes into effect for the third year.
There is, at least, an eight-year and 160,000km guarantee on the high-voltage battery in all e-tron EVs, including the Q4.
Irish pricing & rivals to the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
• Starts from almost €53,000
• Sportback yet to be confirmed
• Plenty of options in this class
Among its premium rivals, the Audi Q4 e-tron is broadly competitive. As the 204hp version in Advance spec, it costs €52,980 and another €7,000 on top of that to move to the 77kWh, 286hp model in the same trim grade.
Those wanting a sportier-looking S line will be looking at €56,515 for the 59kWh car and €63,515 for the 77kWh model, with prices for the Sportback yet to be confirmed.
Audi normally charges a small premium, of about €2,000, model for model with its Sportback SUVs, for reference.
Set against a BMW iX1 (€52,475) or iX2 (€59,275), or a Mercedes EQA (€54,910) or a Volvo EX40 (€51,025), the Audi is right in the thick of the action.
The slight fly in the ointment here is if you are aware that, underneath, the Q4 e-tron is basically the same EV as the Skoda Enyaq (from €47,960 as an SUV or €49,580 as a Coupe), Cupra Tavascan (from €46,080) or Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 (€35,510 and €38,545 respectively), then you can see you are paying a premium just to have an Audi badge.
Verdict: should you buy the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron?
The Q4 e-tron is the epitome of a run-of-the-mill Audi: very classy, very composed and possibly just a bit boring. Still, no everyday electric SUV is supposed to be a thrill-a-minute fairground ride on four tyres, so aside from some questionable plastics in the rear of the passenger compartment, the relative expense of the thing and ho-hum charging speeds, the Q4 e-tron makes for a sound purchase for those looking for a fuss-free, high-quality, all-electric family SUV with a posh badge on its nose.
FAQs about the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron
Is the Audi Q4 e-tron all-wheel drive?
It is in other markets, where there are a couple of quattro dual-motor derivatives available. But here in Ireland, the Audi Q4 e-tron is sold in purely single-motor format, which means it is rear-wheel drive.
Is the Audi Q4 e-tron fast?
It is more brisk than rapid, with the two versions of the electric SUV on sale here in Ireland capable of 0-100km/h in either 8.1 or 6.6 seconds.
Is the Audi Q4 e-tron rated to tow anything?
Yes, although it is - again - a shame we do not get the quattro all-wheel-drive variants here, as they can tow up to 1,800kg of braked trailer. For the rear-drive versions of the Q4 e-tron we do get, Audi says they can tow up to 1,000kg of braked trailer.
Want to know more about the 2027 Audi Q4 e-tron?
If there's anything about the Audi Q4 e-tron 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.
