Audi Q5 Review

The Audi Q5 is the SUV to look at when the Q3 feels a little too small but you don’t need the sheer size of a Q7. At around 4.7 metres long, there’s enough room inside for family life without giving you an unnecessarily huge car to manoeuvre through town or squeeze into a parking space. 

The latest Q5 has changed quite a bit too. There’s a new screen-heavy interior, updated styling and a choice of petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power. Audi has kept the focus on comfort rather than trying to turn the Q5 into an oversized sports car. 

In this Audi Q5 review, we’ll look at what you actually get for your money and where the Q5 falls short against rivals such as the BMW X3. We’ll also help you work out which engine and trim are worth considering for an Audi Q5 lease. 

Quick Verdict on the Audi Q5 

The Audi Q5 is a comfortable family SUV that’s particularly good at long motorway journeys. The standard petrol and diesel models have a 520-litre boot and the cabin feels suitably expensive. For an Audi Q5 lease, it’s a strong choice if you want plenty of space without moving up to the much larger Q7. 

At around 4.7 metres long, the Q5 is a substantial car, although parking cameras and sensors make it easier to manoeuvre. Inside, Audi has gone heavy on technology with an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit and 14.5-inch central display. 

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 

Our Audi Q5 review scores it 8.5/10. The Q5 gives you useful family space without feeling oversized, and it’s especially convincing if you regularly cover longer distances. The only obvious limitation is the five-seat layout, so larger families may need to look at the Q7 instead. 

Audi Q5 at a Glance 

The Audi Q5 is a five-seat SUV measuring around 4.72 metres long, with up to 520 litres of boot space in petrol and diesel models. Petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions are available, so an Audi Q5 lease can work for anything from regular motorway mileage to shorter journeys with home charging. 

The Q5 gives you more passenger space than the smaller Q3 without requiring the extra bulk of the seven-seat Q7. The 520-litre boot is also a useful size for family trips, although plug-in hybrid versions have less luggage space because of the battery. 

Who Should Lease the Audi Q5? 

The Audi Q5 is a good car to lease if you want plenty of family space without moving up to the larger Q7. Its comfortable ride and refined cabin also make it well suited to regular motorway journeys and long road trips. 

The Audi Q5 is a great choice if: 

You need more room than the Audi Q3 

The Q5 gives you more space for passengers and luggage without becoming huge. There’s enough rear room for adults to travel comfortably, and petrol and diesel models have a 520-litre boot. 

That extra space is useful if the car needs to handle family trips as well as the usual weekly shop, but at around 4.72 metres long, the Q5 is still manageable enough for everyday driving. 

You spend a lot of time on the motorway 

Long journeys suit the Q5 really well. The cabin stays quiet at motorway speeds and the seats are comfortable enough for a couple of hours behind the wheel. If your Audi Q5 lease is going to cover a high annual mileage, the continued availability of a diesel engine is useful too. 

You want an engine to suit your mileage 

The Q5 gives you petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options. Petrol is the straightforward choice for mixed driving, and diesel suits regular long-distance journeys. The plug-in hybrid is worth a closer look if you have somewhere to charge at home and can use its electric range for shorter trips. 

The Audi Q5 may not be the best choice if: 

You need seven seats 

Every Q5 has five seats. If you regularly need to carry more passengers, the seven-seat Audi Q7 is the more suitable option. 

You mostly drive on narrow streets 

At around 4.72 metres long, the Q5 is noticeably bigger than the Q3. Parking cameras and sensors help, but you may find the smaller Audi easier to live with if most of your driving happens around town. 

You don't need the extra space 

If you rarely use the rear seats or fill the boot, the Q3 gives you the raised driving position of an SUV in a smaller package. The Q5 earns its extra size when you actually make use of the additional passenger and luggage room. 

Our Verdict 

An Audi Q5 lease is well suited to families and drivers who regularly cover longer distances. You get enough room for adults in the back and a useful 520-litre boot without stepping up to the much larger Q7. 

Exterior Design & Road Presence 

The latest Audi Q5 has a cleaner, sharper look than the previous model. It’s still recognisably a Q5, but slimmer headlights and more sculpted bodywork make it look noticeably newer without turning it into an overly aggressive SUV. 

The large Singleframe grille dominates the front, with pronounced wheel arches giving the Q5 a suitably substantial stance. At around 4.72 metres long, it has plenty of presence on the road, but it hasn’t grown into Q7 territory. 

Trim makes a noticeable difference. Sport keeps things relatively simple, whereas the S line adds larger wheels and more assertive exterior styling. We think the Q5 suits the less-is-more approach, especially if smaller wheels also give you a more comfortable ride. 

If you’re choosing an Audi Q5 lease, we’d look at the actual monthly difference between trims before paying extra for appearance alone. 

Interior, Technology & Comfort 

The Audi Q5 interior is comfortable and noticeably more screen-heavy than before. You get an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit alongside a large 14.5-inch MMI touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included for accessing your usual apps. 

An optional 10.9-inch passenger display adds a third screen. It lets the front passenger control entertainment without interfering with the main display, although we wouldn’t consider it an essential kit for an Audi Q5 lease. 

There’s plenty of adjustment in the driving position and good space up front. Adults have enough room to get comfortable in the back too, which is useful if the Q5 regularly has to carry more than just young children. 

The cabin feels expensive, but we’re less keen on the move towards touchscreen controls. A big display looks impressive in the showroom; a physical button can be much easier when you just want to change something without taking your attention away from the road. 

What’s the Audi Q5 Like to Drive? 

The Audi Q5 is at its best on longer journeys. It feels settled at motorway speeds and keeps road noise under control, so an Audi Q5 lease is particularly easy to recommend if your working week involves plenty of time on faster roads. 

Around town, the light steering helps with manoeuvring and the raised driving position gives you a good view ahead. It’s still a 4.72-metre SUV, though, so you’ll be glad of the parking sensors and cameras when spaces get tight. 

There’s plenty of grip on a winding road, and quattro versions give you extra reassurance in wet or slippery conditions. The Q5 never feels especially sporty, but that doesn’t seem to be what Audi is aiming for here. 

We’d also think carefully before choosing the biggest wheels. They look good, but smaller wheels take more of the sting out of potholes and rough surfaces, which is something you’re likely to appreciate more often than the extra visual drama. 

Audi Q5 Engines & Performance 

The Audi Q5 is available with petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power. Petrol is the easiest fit for mixed driving, diesel is worth considering if you cover lots of motorway miles, and the plug-in hybrid works best if charging can become part of your normal routine.  

Petrol 

The petrol Audi Q5 is a good starting point if you don’t have a particularly high annual mileage. It has enough power for joining the motorway or overtaking without feeling like you’re paying for performance you’ll rarely use. 

It’s also smooth and quiet, which suits the Q5 well. If your Audi Q5 lease will spend most of its time covering long motorway distances, though, we’d take a closer look at the diesel before deciding. 

Diesel 

The diesel Audi Q5 is worth considering if you regularly cover long distances. It’s better suited to sustained motorway driving than lots of short trips, and the extra torque means you don’t have to work the engine hard when overtaking or joining faster traffic. 

If your Audi Q5 lease comes with a high annual mileage allowance, this is the engine we’d compare closely with the petrol. 

Plug-in hybrid 

The Audi Q5 e-hybrid combines a petrol engine with a rechargeable battery, giving you the option to use electric power for shorter journeys before relying on petrol for longer trips. 

We’d only choose the plug-in hybrid if you can charge it regularly. If you can plug in at home overnight, you can make much better use of its electric range and lower fuel costs. If charging is likely to be an occasional event, much of the benefit of choosing the e-hybrid disappears. 

Practicality & Boot Space 

The Audi Q5 is a practical five-seat family SUV with enough rear space for adults and a 520-litre boot in petrol and diesel models. It gives you noticeably more room than the Q3 without requiring the size of the seven-seat Q7. 

There’s plenty of space up front, even for taller passengers, and the cabin has useful storage for the smaller things that inevitably end up travelling around with you. 

Adults can sit comfortably in the back, so the rear seats aren’t just somewhere you’d want to put children. ISOFIX mounting points are provided for compatible child seats too. 

Petrol and diesel models give you 520 litres of boot space. That should comfortably handle a big weekly shop or the luggage for a family trip, and you can fold the rear seats when you need to carry something larger. 

One thing to check before choosing an Audi Q5 lease is boot space on the plug-in hybrid. The battery takes up some of the available luggage room, so compare it with the petrol and diesel models if you regularly fill the boot. 

The Q5 also benefits from not being Audi’s biggest SUV. You get useful family space without having to manoeuvre something as large as the Q7 through a supermarket car park or down a narrow street. 

Fuel Economy & Running Costs 

Audi Q5 running costs vary quite a bit depending on the engine you choose. Diesel is the one to consider for regular motorway mileage, whereas petrol is better suited to drivers covering fewer miles. The plug-in hybrid can reduce petrol use significantly, but only if you charge it regularly. 

If your Audi Q5 lease comes with a high annual mileage allowance, the diesel deserves a closer look. Its fuel economy on longer journeys can help keep running costs down compared with the petrol model. 

The Q5 e-hybrid works differently. Official fuel economy figures assume you’re actually using the battery, so your charging habits have a big effect on what you’ll achieve in the real world. Charge at home and cover most shorter journeys on electric power and you may use very little petrol during the week. Start every journey with a flat battery and the numbers become much less impressive. 

It’s also worth budgeting for the usual costs that come with a car at this price. Insurance and servicing won’t be especially cheap, and those big alloy wheels eventually need big tyres to match. 

Car leasing at least gives you a fixed monthly payment and removes the question of what the Q5 will be worth when you come to sell it. That makes one significant part of your motoring costs predictable from the start. 

Reliability & Safety 

The Audi Q5 received a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2025. Driver-assistance technology includes autonomous emergency braking and lane support, with a driver-monitoring system designed to detect signs of fatigue. 

New models are covered by Audi’s warranty for up to three years or 60,000 miles, and you also get three years of roadside assistance. That means an Audi Q5 lease covering the first few years of the car’s life should sit comfortably within the standard warranty period, depending on your mileage. 

Audi Q5 Trim Levels Explained 

The Audi Q5 is available in Sport, S line, Edition 1 and Vorsprung trims. Sport already gives you a strong standard specification, so moving up the range is largely about getting more equipment or changing the look of the car.  

Sport 

Sport is the entry-level Q5, with Audi’s panoramic display and Virtual Cockpit included as standard. Its smaller wheels are also worth considering if ride comfort matters more to you than sporty styling. 

S line 

The S line adds a more aggressive look and larger alloy wheels. It’s likely to be the trim many Audi Q5 lease customers consider first if they want something a little sharper than Sport. 

Edition 1 

Edition 1 adds more equipment and distinctive styling. Whether it’s worth choosing will largely depend on how much extra it costs per month compared with the S line. 

Vorsprung 

Vorsprung sits at the top of the range with the most generous specification. It’s worth comparing lease prices carefully, as much of what you need is already available further down the range. 

Which Audi Q5 trim offers the best value? 

S line is a good place to start when comparing Audi Q5 lease deals. It gives the Q5 a sportier look without pushing you straight into the most expensive versions, and the standard specification already covers most of what you’re likely to want. 

Lease pricing can sometimes make Edition 1 or Vorsprung surprisingly close in monthly cost, though. Compare the actual deals before deciding, as moving up a trim could be worthwhile if the difference each month is relatively small. 

Audi Q5 vs the Competition 

The Audi Q5 competes directly with the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Volvo XC60. The biggest differences come down to how each one drives and the type of interior you prefer, so it’s worth comparing them before choosing your Audi Q5 lease. 

Audi Q5 vs BMW X3 

The BMW X3 puts more emphasis on handling, so it’s worth a look if you want an SUV that feels more engaging from behind the wheel. The Q5 takes a calmer approach. It feels secure through corners, but its real strength is how settled it feels on a long journey. 

Audi Q5 vs Mercedes-Benz GLC 

The Mercedes-Benz GLC goes further with the luxury feel, particularly inside. Its cabin is more visually dramatic, whereas the Q5 takes a cleaner approach to its design. Both suit long-distance driving well, so your preference may come down to which interior you’d rather spend several hours sitting in. 

Audi Q5 vs Volvo XC60 

The Volvo XC60 takes a similarly comfort-focused approach to the Q5, but its Scandinavian styling gives it a very different character. The Audi feels more technology-focused inside. The Volvo is worth considering if you prefer a simpler, more relaxed cabin. 

For an Audi Q5 lease, the appeal is less about the Q5 beating every rival in one specific area. It gives you a comfortable motorway car with plenty of family space, and its cabin feels appropriately upmarket for the price. 

Is the Audi Q5 Worth Leasing? 

We think leasing suits the Q5 rather well. You get to drive the current-generation car with Audi’s latest cabin technology, then hand it back at the end of the agreement rather than having to think about its future resale value. 

Don’t automatically go for the cheapest version, either. Audi Q5 lease prices can vary considerably between trims, so a better-equipped model may sometimes cost less extra each month than its list price suggests. 

The Q5 isn’t the SUV we’d choose for attacking a favourite B-road, and you can certainly get the same amount of space for less money elsewhere. But if you want something comfortable for a two-hour motorway drive that still feels special when you climb into it on Monday morning, the Q5 is very easy to like. 

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Browse Audi Q5 Lease Deals 

Ready to find your Audi Q5? Compare our latest Audi Q5 lease deals to see which engines and trims offer the best value for your budget. Choose your annual mileage and contract length, then find the Q5 that works for the way you drive. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Audi Q5