New Audi A5 range grows with new £49k plug-in hybrid

On sale June | Price from £48,950

In a world that is becoming ever more complicated, it’s refreshing when things just become that little bit more simple. And that’s the case with Audi’s latest plug-in hybrid, because rather than an arbitrary selection of digits to denote its petrol-electric power, it’s simply called Audi A5 e-hybrid.

The move follows Audi’s renaming strategy, but will the car – available as a hatchback or as an Avant estate – be as simple to use as it is to describe?

Its technical specifications suggest it might, because it uses a new generation of batteries which, at 25.9kWh (20.7kWh usable) can provide an electric-only range of up to 67 miles. That’s impressive, even if the Mercedes C300e can muster 72 miles.

The Audi A5 e-hybrid can charge at up to 11kW, at which rate a full charge can take 2.5 hours – although the C-Class PHEV can accept up to 55kW, taking 20 minutes to charge from 10-80%.

Official fuel economy stands at up to 141.1mpg under official figures, with CO2 emissions as low at 46g/km, although as ever with a plug-in hybrid, you’ll need to make the most of every charging opportunity to achieve that.

Like many fully-electric cars, drivers are able to vary the amount of regenerative braking force the car applies by using paddles on the steering wheel. In its more aggressive settings, it can reduce the amount of times drivers need to slow using the brake pedal, and harvests energy to be fed back to the battery.

And like the fully-electric Audi Q6 e-tron, it can slow the car automatically regardless of whether the car’s sat-nav is activated.

The A5 e-hybrid has two operating modes which can be selected by the driver, or the car can automatically choose the best depending on the driving conditions. EV forces the car to drive using the battery alone; Hybrid will balance both power sources, but allows the driver to select how much electricity should be retained, for example, when entering a city. 

Both the A5 hatchback and Avant estate are powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine and an electric motor which combine to deliver a total of 295bhp through all four wheels. Its 0-62mph time of 5.9sec matches that of the BMW 330e.

The battery itself has around 45% greater capacity than that fitted to the previous Audi A6 PHEV, but is only fractionally larger, which should mean a minimal impact on passenger space. It’s not such good news when it comes to boot space, though, because at 331 litres and 361 litres for the hatchback and A5 Avant respectively, the plug-in hybrid system saps around 87 litres of room.

Better is its towing capacity, which stands at 1900kg (braked) and 750kg (unbraked).

With Technik, Sport, S line and Edition 1 trims, the list of standard equipment broadly mirrors other A5 models. But all plug-in hybrid versions feature three-zone air-con which can be operated remotely via the MyAudi smartphone app. Other highlights include front sports seats which provide more support through four-way electric lumbar adjustment and bulkier side bolsters.

The Audi A5 e-hybrid is available to order from May, although first deliveries are slated for June. Prices for the hatchback – confusingly described by Audi as a saloon – range from £48,950 to £58,620, while Avant models cost between £50,850 and £60,520.

Read more: Best plug-in hybrids

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