Audi A5 Sportback hatchback (2009-2016) - Reliability & safety

Audi as a brand came 23rd out of 32 manufacturers for reliability in our Driver Power 2016 customer satisfaction survey, but was rated sixth for build quality on its way to a disappointing 21st place overall. It was beaten by BMW (which placed 15th) and Mercedes (which was 12th).

Audi A5 reliability

The A5 Sportback itself didn’t appear in the survey, but its build quality is as high as you’d expect from Audi, especially inside, with the seats and dashboard feeling very robust and securely screwed together.

If you get down on your hands and knees to nose around the footwells, you’ll see that the depth of quality is comprehensive – even extending to the boot floor – which is not something many of the Audi’s rivals can match. There has been no major A5 Sportback recall, either.

Safety

All A5 Sportback models come with front and side airbags plus electronic stability control as standard, but the list of safety-related options is extensive, including blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance. The car hasn’t been crash-tested by Euro NCAP, but it shares a lot of components with the previous generation Audi A4 saloon, which secured the maximum five-star rating, so you can expect it to prove just as safe in a crash.