Audi e-tron GT long term review

• Report 1: We welcome the cream of the Audi EV range
• Report 2: The more exclusive alternative to the Porsche Taycan?
• Report 3: What are the Audi e-tron GT's rivals?
• Report 4: The good and the bad so far
• Report 5: How much does it cost to charge the e-tron GT?
• Report 6: Is the Audi RS e-tron GT worth the extra?
• Report 7: What's electric range like in winter?
• Report 8: Our e-tron GT goes in for a safety recall
• Report 9: Is the e-tron GT interior already dated?

Report 1: We welcome the cream of the Audi EV range

For the next six months we'll be running what is arguably the flagship of the Audi electric car range right now - the Audi e-tron GT.

Date: 15 August 2023 | Current mileage: 488 | Claimed economy: 3.1 mi/kWh  | Actual economy: 2.8 mi/kWh

There are times in this job when you count your lucky stars. Being asked if we'd like to run an Audi e-tron GT quattro for six months is one such occasion. The flagship of the Audi electric car range, the Audi e-tron GT is the twin car to the amazing Porsche Taycan and built on the same platform. 

You may think the Audi e-tron GT would be the cheaper alternative to the Taycan, but in fact it actually carries a higher starting price - the Taycan starting at £79,200 while e-tron GT list prices kick off at £87,800.

That only tells half the story though. The e-tron GT is more expensive but then comes with far more. Not only does it have more power but it also has quattro four-wheel drive as standard. The cheapest Taycan 4S is £90,700. 

Rather than go for the high spec Vorsprung version or the full on RS e-tron GT, we've stuck with the more 'sensible' standard e-tron GT quattro. It's still not cheap of course. With the optional Comfort and Sound Pack Plus costing £8190, upgraded wheels and the Parking Assistance Package, our car comes in at a cool £97,950 on the road.

That gets you a lot of Dacia Dusters and is also more expensive than the quicker Tesla Model S which has a longer range, although the Model S, like the Model X, is currently only available as left hand drive. Indeed, over the next few months we'll be comparing the e-tron GT with its main rivals, such as the new Mercedes EQE.   

Having lived with the Audi Q4 e-tron for several months, I'm no stranger to Audi's electric cars range, but the e-tron GT is a very different animal. This is a car more about performance than practicality, although as a four-door with a decent boot, it will still see service as our family car.

It's certainly gone down well with the kids who all love electric cars - 'good for the environment' they tell me. They also love the sleek look of it plus of course the fact it has wireless Apple CarPlay, which seems to be the first thing they ask these days...

So over the next six months we'll be exploring family life with a high performance electric car and seeing how it copes with children, weekends away and colder temperatures over winter. 

Report 2: The more exclusive alternative to the Porsche Taycan?

While the Porsche Taycan may be the more desirable car, the Audi e-tron GT could be considered a more exclusive choice, such is its rarity.

Date: 31 August 2023 | Current mileage: 864 | Claimed economy: 3.1 mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9 mi/kWh

It's often the way that you don't notice how common (or not) a car is until you drive one. Since I've had the Audi e-tron GT I've been on the lookout for other e-tron GTs on the road. Although going past the local Audi dealership doesn't count, despite there being a lovely Ascari Blue RS e-tron GT on the showroom floor.

Yet in the time I've had the e-tron GT I've only spotted one other in the wild, a white RS e-tron GT that passed me on the A1. I have however seen plenty of Audi e-trons (and the Q8 e-tron which replaced it), SUVs remaining as popular as ever.

What I have seen plenty of is Porsche Taycans, many of them high performance Turbo S models. Those start at close to £150k new which makes our e-tron GT look positively affordable.

But this got me thinking, is the Audi e-tron GT actually more exclusive than its Porsche Taycan sibling? For me, the Porsche is the better looking of the two cars, but I'm noticing that the Audi e-tron GT gets plenty of attention wherever I go.

It's always a strange one when there are two cars so similar, not that the Volkswagen Group is a stranger to this. You only have to look at the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan, SEAT Ateca and Skoda Karoq to see how one platform can spawn several different yet similar cars.

In fact, aside from the Porsche Taycan it's hard to pinpoint obvious rivals to the Audi e-tron GT. It's something I'll be covering in a future update as I look at what the likes of Tesla, BMW and Mercedes offer that's similar in size, performance and price.

In the meantime, life with our Audi e-tron GT is proving hassle free. We've yet to undertake any long journeys, but a weekly 100 mile round trip to Cambridgeshire gives us a chance to stretch its legs and economy of 2.9 mi/kWh is not at all bad.

One of the next things I'll be doing is looking at which EV tariff is best for charging and how cheap we can make charging the e-tron GT.

Report 3: What are the Audi e-tron GT's rivals?

Picking obvious alternatives to the Audi e-tron GT isn't that straightforward - so what cars would be considered rivals?

Date: 15 September 2023 | Current mileage: 1102 | Claimed economy: 3.1 mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9 mi/kWh

We've seen plenty of top end electric cars launched in the last few years as brands showcase the technology that will filter down to more affordable volume cars. The Audi e-tron GT is a case in point as the performance flagship model in the Audi range.

But what rivals does the Audi e-tron GT have? Well aside from its counterpart the Porsche Taycan, with which is shares much under the metal, the answer is, very few obvious cars.

The Tesla Model S would be an obvious choice, but that's currently only available as left-hand drive with Tesla concentrating on UK demand for the smaller Tesla 3 and Model Y. From BMW you could argue that the forthcoming BMW i5 M60 xDrive is a rival but it's not grand tourer in the same spirit as the e-tron GT.

A recent test of the impressive new Mercedes EQE further proved the point. With prices starting at £88,000, the Audi e-tron GT sits between the Mercedes EQE priced from £69,000 and the bigger Mercedes EQS which starts at £105,000. Of course, start adding on options - as pretty much every new buyer will do - and these prices will soon rocket. Indeed the Mercedes EQE 300 AMG Line Premium Plus we tested came in at more than £86k.

And with the e-tron GT and EQE parked up next to each other, you can see the similarities in terms of that low sleek profile and smooth aerodynamically-friendly styling. Both offer similar space inside too.

The EQE may not be able to match the e-tron GT for outright performance but with a 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds it's hardly slow, although the more powerful e-tron GT does naturally feel much quicker, especially when accelerating from around the 40mph mark.

There's lots to like about the EQE and EQS, not least their impressively modern interior designs which make the inside of our e-tron GT seem positively dull, something I'll talk about in a future update. It's good looking from the outside too. Indeed, of all the cars I've driven this year, I was surprised how much attention both the EQE and EQS got when parked on the drive.

With an Audi A6 e-tron due next year (both as a saloon and estate), these will prove a more obvious rival to the Mercedes EQE. However, with rumours of an electric successor to the Mercedes CLS and BMW 8 Series on the horizon, maybe the Audi e-tron GT won't be alone for much longer.

Report 4: The good and the bad so far

Two months into our time with the Audi e-tron GT and we're starting to discover the good and not so good features. But are we just being picky?

Date: 3 October 2023 | Current mileage: 1461 | Claimed economy: 3.1mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.8mi/kWh

We're a few months into our time with the Audi e-tron GT and is often the way with new cars, once the honeymoon period is over, you start to really get to know the good and bad bits, however small. And even at more than £95k, the Audi e-tron is by no means perfect.

Some of the gripes are really specification issues. Like the fact that while our car has electric seats, it doesn't have a memory function. So when I get into the car after my other (and considerably shorter) half has been driving, I have to concertina my legs in while desperately holding the seat adjust button and wishing it would move faster. 

These may sound like first world problems, but if you're buying a car as advanced as the Audi e-tron GT (and with a price tag close to six figures) I think you'd expect to have memory seats.

I've also spent the last three weeks trying to work out how to sync the temperature on the climate control. I'm usually pretty good at working out the settings on in-car systems but this one was so frustrating I had to bit the bullet and actually look in the handbook. Which is something I never do. Turns out you just press and hold the Auto button...

One useful feature our e-tron GT has is a wireless phone charging pad, something which we're seeing in more and more new cars. As someone whose phone is always seemingly close to 10%, I love a charging pad for my phone.

However, the one in the e-tron GT is oddly tucked away in the centre console and you have to slide your phone in vertically on its side. On the rare occassions I can be bothered to use it, I then invariably forget my phone when I've parked up...

On the plus side, I have found one of my favourite features. The self-cleaning reversing camera. Hidden in the menus is a little icon that will clean the reversing camera with a little jet of water. So far I've been keeping the e-tron clean but I'm tempted to let it get dirty over the winter just in order to try it out.

And talking of winter, I'll be interested to see how the temperature affects the maximum range in the e-tron GT. At the moment it hovers around 220 miles (according to the trip) which goes up to around 230 miles if use efficiency mode.

Report 5: How much does it cost to charge the e-tron GT?

The big draw of electric cars for the vast majority of people are the cheaper running costs compared to a petrol or diesel. So how much does it cost to charge the e-tron GT?

Date: 30 November 2023 | Current mileage: 2206 | Claimed economy: 3.1mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9mi/kWh

For complicated reasons which are far too boring to go into here, we currently don't have a charging point at our house, so we've been relying on a good old fashioned three-pin socket to charge our e-tron GT. It's far from ideal as you can imagine, but it does mean we're very good at keeping the e-tron GT topped up with charge.

Like the Audi Q4 e-tron we ran, Audi recommends only charging the e-tron GT to 80% in normal use, saving 100% for long journeys. Which is what we've been doing in the main, although we do find a 100% charge if we have a very busy few days coming up and little time to spend charging.

According to Audi, regularly charging to 100% puts more stress on the battery and can accelerate the ageing process. This causes the available battery capacity to decrease at a comparatively faster rate. Hence why Audi recommends charging up to a maximum of 80% if your car is mainly used for short trips. 

So how much is it costing to charge? We've recently been switched to OVO energy after it bought SSE and one advantage is that OVO has an EV tariff. Called Charge Anytime, it's free to switch and OVO says you can save up to £500 a year. 

We had to switch to a smart meter, which was easily done, SSE and OVO having badgered us for years to get one installed. Usefully, although we don't have a charging point, we're still able to use Charge Anytime as it communicates directly with the car. You simply download the Charge Anytime app, sign in and connect your car. Handily you can add several vehicles.

So how does it work? Well the smart charging tech works out when it is cheapest to charge your car, usually at off-peak times, so overnight is a favourite. You set the time you want your car charged by and it does the rest. You can override it by using the urgent charge function, if you need some charge pronto. The app is pleasingly easy to use (which seems to be a rarity these days).

Smart charging with Charge Anytime means we're paying a cheaper rate of 7p per kWh compared to our standard electric charge of 26.6p per kWh. Of course we still have a standing charge of 41.57p a day to pay, but it means we're saving a considerable amount. Since we switched on the 8th of November we've saved £48.53 for the month.

So whereas before it was costing £24.84 to fully charge the 93.4kWh battery in the e-tron GT, using the OVO Charge Anytime it's costing a mere £6.54. That's about the same as a gallon of fuel right now. For more than 200 miles of range that's incredible value. True, you do have to take into account the daily standing charge, but that's still only about £13 a month. Plus compared to a petrol or hybrid, you're not paying an car tax on an EV.

If you have an electric car or are thinking of getting one, moving to an EV tariff is a no brainer and will save you some serious money. I only wish we'd done it sooner. We've also put together a guide to the Best EV Tariffs to help you compare deals.

Report 6: Is the Audi RS e-tron GT worth the extra?

Starting at £120k, the higher performance RS version of the Audi e-tron GT costs considerably more than our standard car, but is it worth the extra?

Date: 18 December 2023 | Current mileage: 2786 | Claimed economy: 3.1mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9mi/kWh

With a list price close to £90k, the Audi e-tron GT is hardly what you'd call affordable, no matter how good it is. Like the Porsche Taycan, this is a top end electric car designed to sit above models like the Tesla Model S/ But as with the Porsche Taycan, even at this level, there are higher spec and higher performance models.

If you want the pinnacle of the e-tron GT range, then the Audi RS e-tron GT is the car for you. Not that we suspect many people will chose the Tactical Green paintwork on this press car, although you can't deny it stands out...

As the high performance version of the e-tron GT, the RS naturally gets more power. In fact the electric motor is boosted to deliver close to 600PS giving it a 0-62mph time of just 3.3 seconds. Oh and it also has an extra 200Nm of torque. Our car 'only' has 476PS and manages 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds.

Of course that's not exactly what you'd call slow, so how much does this 0.8 seconds cost? Well the cheapest RS e-tron GT model is £120k, going up to close to £140,000 for the RS e-tron GT Carbon Vorsprung. Bless you.

Of course it's more than just performance. The RS models certainly look the part with gloss black trim compared to the matt black on the standard car, black badging plus bigger (and much better looking) 21-inch wheels. Inside you get RS Sport Seats Pro with 18-way adjustment, ventilation and massage finished in full perforated fine Nappa leather as standard.

There's also more equipment on the RS such as head-up display, Audi laser light headlights (which doubles the range of the high beams) and adaptive air suspension, which our e-tron GT doesn't have, although it is fitted with adaptive dampers.

But we have to question, is it worth the extra. While I love the look of the RS, I don't ever feel like I'm missing out when I get behind the wheel of the e-tron GT. It's already incredibly quick, far more than it needs to be in everyday driving - and does everything so capably. 

I'd make a strong argument for the 'standard' e-tron GT being the pick of the range. Even with plenty of options chosen, it would still be cheaper than the RS version. So it may not have the RS badge on the back, but you'd still have an incredibly high spec and superb electric car.

Report 7: What's electric range like in winter?

With temperatures plummeting below zero we're expecting to see a drop in the electric range of our e-tron GT. So how much difference does cold weather make?

Date: 9 January 2024 | Current mileage: 3224 | Claimed economy: 3.1mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9mi/kWh

While fuel economy figures have become more accurate in recent years (mainly thanks to the change to a new test called WLTP) for most car owners and buyers they're simply a measure of comparison between cars rather than an achievable figure. And the same goes for electric car range.

While our Audi e-tron GT has an official claimed range of 300 miles, we've only ever seen a maximum of 230 miles as the maximum range. In fact, since we've had the car, it's pretty consistently shown 220 miles range when fully charged to 100%. And that's with steady everyday driving.

For us, that range is not too much of an issue, as we rarely travel more than that in one go. Plus we have a bigger Audi Q7 diesel as the family car should we need to go really long distance. But there have been a few times we've pushed our luck.

A recent trip to Gloucestershire and back saw us using efficiency mode to up the range to 230 miles. Turning off the air con added another 10 miles, although it also saw the windscreen steam up quickly, so I ended up using it in short bursts.

On the return journey the e-tron GT was down to just 10 miles range when we pulled onto the drive. It certainly didn't make for the most relaxing of drives home that's for sure.

With temperatures dropping recently I've been expecting a decrease in range. Studies show that once temperatures hit freezing, the impact on electric car range is around 10% to 20%. And the last week or so has seen night time temperatures of -2C.

Our Audi e-tron GT has seen a decrease, but only down to 210 miles from its usual 220 miles - a drop of 5% - which isn't to bad at all. Again, this is in normal rather than efficiency mode. And putting on the heated seats doesn't affect the range either, which is useful on those cold morning school runs...

Fortunately we haven't had any snow to contend with, but there's been plenty of ice around making the back roads pretty slippery. The e-tron GT has been impeccable though and despite being on summer tyres hasn't struggled for traction, helped in part by the quattro four-wheel drive system.

Report 8: Our e-tron GT goes in for a safety recall

A recent warning message on the screen of our e-tron GT warned us that it needed to be inspected, so it was time to get it back to a dealer.

Date: 24 January 2024 | Current mileage: 3703 | Claimed economy: 3.1mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9mi/kWh

In November last year, a message popped up on the infotainment screen on the Audi e-tron GT one evening - the beauty of having a connected car. It's one up from getting a letter in the post at least. Next to a picture of a spanner was the message 'Field campaign' which is a nice way of saying a recall.

There wasn't much information, just the line 'checking high-voltage battery for leaks' which sounded serious enough. A quick search online revealed more. Apparently there is insufficiant sealant on the high voltage battery and liquid accumulatoin can cause electric arcing, increasing the risk of fire.

It was certainly something I wanted to get looked at and sorted sooner rather than later. Usefully, with a local dealer already set in myAudi, I could request contact from the touchscreen. 

Simple. Only it wasn't. As I later discovered, the reason I kept getting an error message was because my local Audi dealer in Bedford isn't set up to deal with electric cars. After a phone call to Audi I found it the e-tron GT had to go a specialist battery centre - the nearest being either Northampton or Huntingdon. The latter is marginally closer but still a 45 minute drive.

Audi is clearly busy as the first date I could get was early January so it was booked in for straight after the new year. Then at 4pm the evening before it was due to go in I got a phone call from the dealer saying that due to a technician resigning they had to cancel the work. And there was another four week wait for the next appointment.

So finally, in early February I took our e-tron GT over to Audi Huntingdon to have the recall work carried out. Apart from waiting a couple of hours for a courtesy car (which after several false starts eventually turned out to be a Q4 e-tron), that part went smoothly and the car was ready after two days. They also cleaned it which was a nice touch.

Along with sorting the high voltage battery recall the dealer also carried out a software update to the brakes. I did ask for more information on this but didn't really get much apart from an answer to the effect that it would improve the brake pedal feel. I'd really have liked something more detailed (and in writing) about what these changes were. 

Still, it's good to have the e-tron GT back with the battery issue sorted and despite that software change to the brakes, they don't feel any different from behind the wheel, although I've not been driving especially quickly or required much hard braking of late. Perhaps a proper road test is in order...

Report 9: Is the e-tron GT interior already dated?

I like the simple and unfussy design of the e-tron GT interior but is it already looking dated alongside the latest electric rivals from BMW and Mercedes?

Date: 12 February 2024 | Current milege: 4022 | Claimed economy: 3.1mi/kWh | Actual economy: 2.9mi/kWh

While there's no doubting the quality of Audi interiors, we're not alone in thinking that the latest designs from the brand are perhaps missing the wow factor. And I certainly feel that with the Audi e-tron GT. As the flagship in Audi's electric car range, you'd expect it to have a cutting edge interior - but in my opinion at least - it's a little behind the times.

Not that an ultra modern interior is everything of course - there's a lot to be said for user-friendliness and a simple design. The interiors that car manufacturers design aren't necessarily what drivers actually. And sometimes it feels like a case of incorporating a design or feature because they can rather than because they should.

BMW's gesture volume control is a good case in point. You can draw a circle with your hand in front of the touchscreen and it changes the volume. Only it doesn't because it rarely detects your hand so you're left there waving your hand around in front of a screen. Turning a volume knob is far easier and quicker. Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel.

But I still can't help feeling that the interior of our Audi e-tron GT feels a little plain. Having recently driven the Mercedes EQE, this highlighted that fact even more. If you want a car that has a next generation feel when you get behind the wheel, the EQE certainly fits the bill.

It has an even more minimalist feel than the Audi with only a row of buttons (touch with haptic feedback) across a huge central screen that controls pretty much everything. There's actually two rows of steering wheel buttons - again touch rather than physical buttons.

Everyone who got into the Mercedes EQE in the time I had it commented on the interior - whereas no one ever said anything about the e-tron GT. Unless it was to comment on the rather ugly grey plastic across the dash. Not what you'd expect on a car at this price.

Does this mean it's better? Not necessarily. There are lots of features on the Audi e-tron that I prefer over the EQE - things like simple (and proper) buttons plus I'm not a fan of a huge screen dominating everything, especially when driving at night. But being the wrong side of 40, I'm probably not the key target for the latest electric car interior designs...

The next generation of Audi interiors certainly looks more stylish. Later this year we will see the new Audi Q6 e-tron launched and from the pictures we've seen it really is a step forward.