Audi A5 Sportback hatchback - Reliability & safety (2017-2024)
Both the Audi A5 and brand as a whole fail to perform well in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey
The Audi A5 Sportback shares its mechanical underpinnings and much of its construction with the A4 saloon, so Euro NCAP has given both models the same excellent score. Audi’s build quality is traditionally praised in our Driver Power customer satisfaction surveys, although elsewhere the brand fares poorly in recent editions.
Audi A5 Sportback reliability
The Audi A5 came in 70th place out of the top 75 cars in our 2023 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, which is a disappointing result. Owners criticised the steering and handling, general driving feel, infotainment system, and the exterior styling. 23% of owners reported an issue with their Audi in the first year of ownership, and while this isn’t as bad as rival Mercedes (28%) or even parent company Volkswagen (26%), it’s behind rivals like Lexus (14%).
Safety
Because the A5 is based on the Audi A4 and is so similar, Euro NCAP has marked both cars together, meaning the A5 scores the full five stars, including an 89% rating in the adult occupant protection category.
All A5 Sportbacks come with autonomous emergency braking (AEB). Euro NCAP and other safety organisations, including Thatcham, reckon this relatively new piece of protective equipment is one of the biggest developments in car safety, reducing rear-end collisions by as much as 38%.
The A5 Sportback’s standard AEB setup has been designed to work only at urban speeds, but given that 75% of all crashes are said to occur at under 25mph, it could be a real life-saver. Lane-keeping assistance (to prevent you from wandering out of your lane on the road) and rear cross-traffic alert (to help you reverse out of a driveway or parking space safely) are available, too.
If you want your A5 Sportback to be safer still, consider specifying the ‘Driver Assistance Pack – Tour’ option. This includes traffic-sign recognition (which will remind you of the speed limit) and adaptive cruise control (which will match the Sportback’s speed to the vehicle in front). A lane-departure warning system, high-speed AEB (active at speeds up to 155mph) and other active safety technologies are also included, and if you specify the pack with an automatic gearbox, the A5 Sportback will also partially drive itself in traffic jams.
