2026 Audi Q4 e-tron Q4 45 e-tron
Premium Electric SUV · RWD
Based on battery health, build quality, owner data, EPA range, and market pricing
Above average for 2026 EV SUVs (class avg 66 · top 18%)
Personalize this scoreIs a low score bad?
Last scanned 12 days ago
The 2026 Audi Q4 e-tron 45 packs 282 hp, 288 miles of EPA range and a 77 kWh battery, and the score gets it into the conversation; battery and service records decide whether to make an offer.
Score read
A 71/100 makes this a paperwork-and-test-drive decision. Build quality score is 97/100, but owner feedback score is only 48/100. Owners on Reddit repeatedly cite owner satisfaction and software tech as recurring problems. Treat missing repair records as a price problem, not a footnote.
Price context
This trim started from $50,600 new. Used examples have come down since launch, but pricing varies by miles, condition, and how the model is moving right now; pull a current KBB Fair Purchase, an Edmunds True Market Value, or an active dealer listing for this exact trim, and anchor your offer there. Walk if the seller will not move off new-car-style pricing.
Who this is for
✓ Good for
- ⏱ Daily commuter ≤50 mi/day, predictable charging
✗ Avoid if you are a
- $ Bargain hunter Best TCO, reliability + low depreciation
Gotchas
- Serviceable Recall paperwork has to match the exact VIN.
Mitigation Use NHTSA and the automaker lookup, then require repair records instead of a verbal promise.
- Verify Owner feedback is the part to read carefully (48/100).
Mitigation Read the complaint themes and ask whether this VIN has already had those issues repaired.
- Verify Current market pricing is not confirmed well enough for this trim.
Mitigation Compare KBB, J.D. Power, and live listings for the same trim before treating price as a buying signal.
Pre-purchase inspection
- 1 Run the exact VIN through NHTSA and the automaker recall lookup before discussing price.
- 2 Compare the dashboard range estimate with the EPA 288-mile rating after a full charge.
- 3 Confirm how much of the 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty remains and whether it transfers.
- 4 If road trips matter, run a short DC fast-charge session and watch whether speed tapers normally.
- 5 Read the complaint themes, not just the count, and ask the seller whether those issues have shown up on this VIN.
VIN status first This model has 1 NHTSA recall record. The exact VIN lookup decides whether the car in front of you is clear.
Complaint context This scan found 0 NHTSA complaint records (0 per 10K VINs, low for any vehicle class). Read the themes below before treating the raw count as the verdict.
Price needs outside confirmation Current market pricing is incomplete, so MSRP should not be used as the deal signal. Compare KBB, J.D. Power, and live listings for this exact trim.
Pricing & Market Value
Score Breakdown
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Vehicle Specifications
The federal $4,000 used-EV credit ended Sept 30, 2025.
But 10 states still run their own used-EV rebate programs — some up to $5,000. Pick your state to see what's available for this trim.
Source & disclaimer
Dealers make ~$3,575 on the average car loan.
After the price is set, the finance manager runs four plays to rebuild margin. Every buyer without a pre-approval is a target. Here's exactly what they run — and what stops each one.
78% of dealer loans carry a hidden +1.13% markup above what the lender actually charges. You never see it — it's buried in the contract. · CFPB
Dealer must match or beat your lender — they can't add margin invisibly. The markup play is dead on arrival.
Once you answer, they stretch the term to hit your number. Median result: $4K less off the price, 12 more months on the loan. · Industry avg
Financing is done. Only the sale price is on the table — and the dealer knows it.
Back-office F&I profit averages $1,975/vehicle, up 8.5% YoY. These products exist — but dealer markup is 4–10x what you'd pay elsewhere. · Dealership Guy
Dealer GAP runs $500–1K. Your insurer sells the same coverage for $100–250 over 5 years. Now you know.
"Your loan fell through — come re-sign." This pulls your APR up +5% on average. It's legal. It works because you've already driven the car home. · Ctr for Responsible Lending
A lender commitment letter means the deal is final. "Pending dealer approval" doesn't apply. You can't be yo-yo'd.
Margin handed to the dealer's finance department — for nothing.
Takes 2 minutes. No obligation to use it — but you'll walk in with all the leverage.
Pre-approval is a soft credit inquiry — no score impact. FICO treats all auto-loan hard pulls within 14 days as one, so you can still shop rates at the dealer.
NHTSA Recalls (1)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 GTI, Golf R, Audi A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, S5, S6 Sportback E-Tron, 2026 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, and Q4 E-Tron vehicles. The torsion bar in one or both front seat belt retractors may have been damaged during production.
In a crash, a damaged torsion bar in a retractor could fail. If this happens, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Check VIN status at NHTSA.govNHTSA Complaints (0 total · 0 per 10K US vehicles · low for any vehicle class)
No complaints filed with NHTSA for this vehicle.
What Owners Are Saying
"2024 Audi Q4 e-tron quattro 55: 1,000 km report TL/DR We wanted to replace our Tesla and chose the Q4. We love the vehicle. Does all ‘car’ stuff really well, but Audi is 10 years behind on software. Our 2013 Tesla Model S was getting long in the tooth, with brake issues no one could seem to solve. We hated giving up free and worry free Supercharging, but it was time. My wife and I sat in a Model Y. She asked how to open the glove box. I replied she had to do it from the centre screen. On the spot she declared she’d never own one. Off to Mercedes to look at the EQB. We had a deal on the table for a new 2024 EQB 300 but the sales consultant messed up horsepower and range ratings, causing us to lose faith in the process. Our deposit was refunded and we moved on to Audi. We test drove a Q4, and were impressed with the array of buttons, the adjustability of the HVAC and vents controlling airflow, and how “conventional” the interior is with Audi’s usual superb design and fit and finish. We’re in Canada, so no tax credit, but we were able to take advantage of the federal $5K rebate, another $3,450 in Audi and dealership stackable cash along with pretty good trade-ins on the Tesla and saying goodbye to my 2004 BMW 330ci convertible (sniff). We added Premium, Tech, Black Optic and Sonos packages and the dealer added the wireless phone charger which was rebated back to us. We added ceramic, all-weather floor mats to finish it up. We’ve had the vehicle for almost two weeks now, with a little over 1,200 kilometres accumulated. **Highs** * This thing is wickedly fast. 335 horsepower. Very little can keep up with it, except when we were passed on a sweeping offramp by, you guessed it, another Q4, same colour (pebblestone grey). Speed feels bottomless. * Turning circle is outstanding. Really tight and a breeze to park. * Super nimble handling. Feels really planted with excellent steering feedback. No floating of the suspension. Everything is connected and responsive. Cornering is flat, and I haven’t noticed any excessive understeer, but it’s still early days. It just doesn’t feel like an SUV. More like a sports car in SUV clothing. * I love the regen. Tap the paddle to slow down. When you hit the brakes or the accelerator, the regen reverts to off, ready for the next stop or corner. We didn’t have true one-pedal driving on our Tesla. Regen was quite aggressive but not like the newest models. Putting the Q4 in B mode simulates this. * I think of Dynamic mode as the “make your passenger car-sick” mode. Modulate speed in corners with quite aggressive regen, dart for a lane change. The characteristics of the vehicle are transformed in this setting. Change back to Auto and it’s a limousine. * It’s equipped with the Matrix LED headlights but I don’t believe their full functionality is enabled in Canada. * Really quiet interior. We said goodbye to the 11 year old Tesla’s squeaks and rattles along with the dash squeak we’ve had from day one. * Lane keeping as"
"Audi Q4 45 quattro vs Tesla model Y longe range RWD Hey all, I’m trying to decide between two EVs: • Audi Q4 e-tron 45 Quattro (2025) • Tesla Model Y Juniper (facelift 2025) I’ve test driven both and I’m looking for realworld feedback, especially from people who have owned or taken them on road trips. Here’s my take so far: Audi Q4 e-tron 45 Quattro • Premium interior feel and build quality. • Comfortable ride, solid driving dynamics. • Downsides: shorter real-world range compared to the Model Y, infotainment feels a bit dated, fewer features included at base price. Tesla Model Y Juniper • Spacious, minimalistic interior with huge cargo space. • Longer range and faster charging in practice, plus better route planning and charging network integration. • Downsides: less “traditional” interior design, build quality not on par with Audi in some areas. For context: • I drive mostly in the Netherlands, but I also plan multiple long trips across Europe each year. • Efficiency, charging speed, and real-world range are important. • Tesla’s Superchargers are now open to other brands, but Tesla’s integration still seems ahead. So… in terms of total packagelong-term reliability, comfort, tech, efficiency, and charging experience – is the Audi actually a better buy than the Tesla, or does Tesla take the win? Would love to hear from people who’ve used either of these cars for daily driving and long trips."
"I once was a fan of my Q4 (Audi Q4 e-tron 2023) Like the title says – I used to *love* my Q4 back in 2023. After waiting almost two years between ordering and finally getting it delivered, I was genuinely happy and excited. It had been my dream car from the moment I first saw it, and picking it up in Ingolstadt was a really special moment for me. At first, everything was great. It was summer, the battery was new, and I was easily getting around 400 km of range (charging to 80%, which I always did). That completely matched my needs. But fast forward two years, and now in the middle of winter, things look very different. Today, for example, I charged at an Audi Charging Hub up to 70%, and the estimated range was just 235 km. Yes, I know — it’s cold, batteries degrade over time, and winter efficiency is always worse. Even though today it was actually around +2°C, not extreme cold at all. Still… after almost 60,000 km, I have to say I’m pretty disappointed. I honestly don’t see myself getting another Q4, as much as I love the design and Audi as a brand. 200-ish kilometers of real-world range just isn’t enough anymore. Or rather: it *could* be enough if charging were fast. But especially in winter, the car rarely pulls more than 80 kW (instead of the advertised 125–130 kW). Charging from around 10% to 80% regularly takes 40 minutes or more. And since I have to do this almost daily because of my commute, it really adds up. On top of that, charging prices here in Germany are so high that it’s barely cheaper than driving a petrol car — especially since I don’t have a wallbox at home. I know there are explanations for all of this. I know about battery chemistry, winter losses, charging curves, and so on. That’s not really my point. My point is that, taken as a whole, the experience over the past two years has been disappointing. Between the range, the charging times, and a few other issues I’ve had along the way, the initial excitement is pretty much gone. Maybe some of you can relate. And if not — thanks for letting me vent a little. It actually helped getting this off my chest."
"Audi Q4 e-tron Software Issues New owner with a Q4 e-tron Sportback Quattro 50 and have been loving the drive. That is until two weeks in when I experienced a cascade of error messages upon start (see attached vid). Four back-to-back attempts looking for a clean start encountered the same thing. Ended up calling Audi Roadside and got a tow to our Audi dealership. Diagnostics done and I’m told the matter is a software issue and there is no fix. I’m told to wait for next software release but no idea when it will come but, good news, there is a work-around… turn car off, wait 5min and try again. Inquiries were made to Audi Canada by dealership but five days later no response. OK… picking car up tomorrow since it is supposed to be working fine BUT my confidence in this vehicle being available when I need it is significantly shaken. I question why Audi does not have the concept of a patch release or hotfix for major issues rather than make people wait for a full release. It is clear their definition of a major issue is not determined from a customer perspective, i.e. impacts function to point of intended use not being achievable. But hey, stop everything, wait and then try again. No idea when and if this issue will occur again. I will keep this community updated."
"2024 Audi Q4 e-tron 10,000 km report I gave my impressions on out Q4 e-tron after 1,000km in another post. Here’s what I’ve found at 10K. We have the 55 with the Premium, Tech, Black Optic and Sonos sound system packages. The tl/dr on this is; great car doing car things. Reliable range, fast charging, comfortable and feels luxurious. The software sucks and the app blows chunks. Would I buy another one? Ask me again if the connectivity drops out. **Highs** The Q4 continues to be a delight to drive. Quick, nimble and quiet, it can more than get out of its own way. The Sonos audio system is excellent especially with Apple Music. You can hear the difference between SiriusXM (overly compressed and is it sped up a bit?) and Apple music. Controls are easy to use, easy to find and quick to choose. The physical controls were a huge selling point for us. Range has been great; the real world highway mileage seems to be accurately reflected in the GOM estimate. We took a roughly 3500 km trip in August, and never feared running out of electrons. We were able to use a number of Electrify Canada stations along the way which charged super-fast. We abandoned these for the trip home, preferring to pay for charging along the way and save time on the road. I think we probably saved about 3 hours total on the return trip since we didn’t have to hunt around to find the EA chargers (usually located well into the city rather than just off the highway). Another shorter trip in October resulted in the same performance during a warm snap; easily getting 400km+ on a charge (I’d usually start from 100%) on these trips. Fast charging was a bit hit and miss at time. I had to play the charger hop game at one station; the first two chargers simply didn’t work, but got lucky the third time. We were never stranded as I always kept 100km of range in the bank (new car, new car range paranoia). If you’re travelling in eastern Ontario, Quebec or the Maritimes, an Electric Circuit account is a must. We stopped at Saint-Louis-de-Blandford off Hwy 20 in Quebec, where they have 24 fast chargers plus Tesla chargers. A number of these were drive-throughs for trucks/SUVs towing trailers. The closest thing to a Tesla Supercharger station I’ve seen so far. The lane keeping and distance pacing continues to impress. The lane keeping only got fooled once during our trip, where someone had run over some road lines and their tires painted the lane to the left of the actual right-side lane boundary. Warning buzzers and lights went off demanding I take over. Resuming cruise control from a stop is very nice. Most vehicles I’ve driven, you have to get up past 40 km/h or more before it will reengage. We’ve only had one phantom braking event. We were in stop and go traffic coming into Montreal and creeping alon"