Audi Q8 e-tron SUV - Reliability & safety
Loads of safety tech, but the Audi doesn’t have a particularly strong reputation for owner satisfaction
Audi has long enjoyed a desirable and aspirational image, but this hasn't always been reflected by the brand's owner satisfaction results. There are few doubts over the e-tron's safety, though – this is a very high-tech car with a Euro NCAP safety score of five stars, and its long list of safety equipment reflects just how sophisticated it is.
Audi e-tron reliability
Despite its image as a ‘premium’ brand that builds high quality cars, Audi came a lowly 30th out of 32 brands in our 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey – not a sparkling result by any means and one that placed it firmly behind BMW (21st) and Lexus (8th), only ahead of Fiat and MG in this year’s poll.
None of the Audi models that featured in our 2023 Driver Power model survey bear direct comparison to the Q8 e-tron but the brand's Audi Q3 SUV was its highest-rated model. It finished 27th out of 75 cars in the survey – not perfect, but hopefully a step in the right direction.
Safety
The e-tron was awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP after it was safety tested in the spring of 2019. Category scores included 91% for adult occupant and 85% for child occupant, with 76% for safety assist. NCAP hasn’t tested the newer Q8, but given it is based on the same platform and shares almost all of the same technology, it is unlikely to perform too differently in the event of an accident.
Safety systems fitted include autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, active cruise control and a speed limiter, so the e-tron has an array of gadgets that should prevent a crash occurring in the first place – as well as being tough and strong if the worst does happen.
