Audi's new RS5 is a 639PS plug-in hybrid.

• New Audi RS5 replaces RS4
• Avant estate and saloon version both revealed
• Audi's first performance plug-in hybrid
• Priced from £90,220.

The new Audi RS5 has been unveiled in full in both saloon and Avant estate forms.

The latest generation of high-performance Audi is a landmark car for the German brand – its first performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The new RS5 is the latest in a long line of performance RS estate models from Audi, replacing the RS4 and channelling the spirit of the RS2. A saloon version has also been revealed, also based on the existing generation of Audi A5.

The plug-in hybrid system will help Audi comply with increasingly tight emissions regulations. The new RS5 will use an updated version of the existing 2.9-litre V6 from the RS4, with the addition of an electric motor pushing the power output to 639PS. 

For comparison, the BMW M3 Competition Touring makes 530PS from its pure petrol engine, and the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance pushes out 680PS from its PHEV system.

As well as the big dollops of power, Audi has stiffened the bodywork by 10% and developed bespoke RS sport suspension with twin-valve shock absorbers, as well as a new version of Audi's Quattro four-wheel-drive system with Dynamic Torque Control electro-mechanical torque vectoring at the back, which the company says is a world first. This can deploy torque differences of up to 2000Nm and reacts in just 15 milliseconds, allowing for rear-biased handling and a controlled drift mode.

2026 Audi RS5 price and release date

The order books open before the end of March in Europe for the new Audi RS5, with the first deliveries expected in the summer. Prices have bumped up from the RS4 Avant's circa £70,000 price tag – the RS5 Avant starts at £92,120 and the RS5 Saloon costs from £90,220.

The BMW M3 Competition Touring costs from just under £94,000, while the Mercedes C63 S E Performance starts at £102,685. The RS5 Saloon could be slightly less expensive than the Avant.

2026 Audi RS5 styling, interior and technology

The styling of the RS5 models follows the now-familiar recipe of taking the standard A5 Avant and saloon, and beefing them up. Both cars are wider than the A5 by around 90mm with flared arches and bumpers to make it look more muscular.

At the front, Audi's Singleframe grille has a honeycomb pattern and at the back there's a diffuser and matt oval tailpipes. The headlights are darkened matrix LED units as standard, with a chequered-flag pattern on the daytime running lights. All the trim and badges is black, with carbon accents available as an option. Both cars run on 20-inch wheels as standard, or 21-inch units if you select the Audi Sport Package, which also adds matt-black tailpipes and even beefier bumpers. There are big 420mm discs under the front wheels, with carbon ceramic versions available for a tidy £6000 and a 30kg weight saving.

Inside, it's familiar A5 territory, but with added sportiness. Infotainment duties are taken care of through a 14.5-inch central touchscreen, with a 10.9-inch passenger screen included as standard for entertainment and various passenger control functions. There's also an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit, which is fancy Audi talk for a digital instrument panel. You also get a head-up display projecting key information onto the windscreen.

As well as the usual infotainment functions – navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto etc – the RS5 system also allows for performance data readouts, including energy flows, temperature updates from the tyres, transmission and rear transaxle, and detailed performance metrics. An Audi driving experience function lets drivers analyse routes driven, or crunch your sector times at race tracks. There's also a drive mode called RS Torque Rear that opens up stats to analyse your drift angles.

Supportive quilted leather sports seats up front will keep you and the front passenger in place when the cornering gets dynamic, and you can choose from five distinct interior designs, each with different materials and colour schemes. Across the range, there's a black headlining and the instrument panel, armrests and door trim are upholstered in black Dinamica microfibre. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is covered in Nappa leather with a colour-coordinated 12 o'clock marker.

2026 Audi RS5 engine, performance and fuel economy

The plug-in hybrid power system in the new Audi RS5 is perhaps its biggest headline. It's Audi's first performance PHEV, and it uses a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that pushes out 510PS. Thanks to modifications like higher injection pressure and new water-to-air intercoolers, as well as a modified cycle, it's more efficient and powerful than the outgoing RS4 unit.

Attached to the engine is a 177PS electric motor, generating 460Nm torque. Combined, the RS5 makes 639PS and 825Nm torque. A boost mode allows for a ten-second full power deployment, and in RS modes the battery is held at 90% for maximum deployment.

The RS5 is a heavy car, at 2370kg for the Avant, but it's still quick – the 0-62mph time for both Avant and saloon is 3.6 seconds, with a top speed of 177mph. That's actually around 9mph less than the RS4, but who's really doing those speeds?

Under the boot floor is a 25.9kWh (22kWh net) battery that can charge at up to 11kW, which should allow around 50 miles of electric-only driving.