⚡ Fast Facts – 2025 Audi SQ6 e-tron
🚀 Power: Dual-motor setup producing 509 hp (483 hp continuous)
🔋 Battery: 94.4 kWh pack with 800-volt architecture
📈 Range: EPA-estimated 275 miles (down from Q6’s 307 miles)
⚡ Charging: Up to 270 kW DC fast-charging — 10 to 80% in ~21 minutes
🛋 Interior: Red leather sport seats, dual screens, optional head-up display
💰 Price: Starts around $75,000 (est.)
Everyday Luxury, Electrified
Audi is building out its electric SUV lineup, and the new 2025 SQ6 e-tron slots right into the midsize opening. While flashier models like the BMW iX and the Mercedes-Benz EQE-Class might draw more attention, the SQ6 e-tron avoids the jelly-bean styling of the latter and the beef of the former.
Think of it as an Audi SUV that just happens to be battery-powered, and you’ve got the right idea. This approach targets a broader range of high-end customers rather than EV enthusiasts and delivers an excellent experience that matches its premium price tag.
All-New, With Extra Spice
Audi’s electrified SUV offerings (the compact Q4 and the all-new Q6) complement the gas-powered Q5 and the entry-level Q3. The SQ6 adds a dose of speed and standard equipment familiar to longtime fans of the brand who associate the "S" badge with performance.
Although it shares the same fresh platform as the standard Q6 e-tron, the SQ6 sets itself apart by way of its dual-motor setup producing 509 horsepower, which is a big jump past the 456 horses in the mightiest version of the Q6. Of course, you have to activate Boost mode to tap into all that output (typically while using launch control), but even without it, 483 horsepower is on offer at all times.
In any case, it’s enough motivation to blow past Audi’s advertised 4.1-second 0-to-60 time if you hook up with enough traction. Personally, I’m not much for straight-line shenanigans in a 5,000-pound SUV, as terrifying yourself and your passengers with light-speed launches gets old fast. I’m much more impressed by how matter-of-factly the SQ6 e-tron doles out acceleration in daily driving.
It’s no rollercoaster drop or afterburner push, but it’s smooth and sufficient enough to slingshot this heavy hauler past dawdling weekend tourist traffic that clogs the mountain roads around my home. To me, that kind of accessible performance is a better yardstick than the tick-tick of a stopwatch.
From a handling perspective, the SQ6 e-tron holds its own, but don’t expect many thrills while rounding a bend. This is a large, comfort-oriented SUV with an air suspension and adaptive shock absorbers that do a better job of isolating occupants from roadway insults rather than redlining your pulse during a spirited drive.
There’s A Range Hit for SQ Performance
If there’s a price to pay for the SQ6’s additional muscle, it’s found in the range department. Its 94.4-kilowatt-hour battery delivers an EPA-estimated 275 miles, down from 307 in the more modestly motivated all-wheel drive Q6 e-tron. Still, it's a very usable range, and the 800-volt architecture allows for charging speeds of up to 270 kilowatts, enough to hit 80 percent charge from nearly empty in about 21 minutes under ideal conditions.
During my mix of highway and secondary-road driving, the range estimator consistently showed 265 miles from a full battery, averaging 35.8 kWh per 100 miles. That’s less efficient than what I saw during a recent road trip in the BMW iX xDrive60, which is the same size and similarly gifted in the drivetrain department.
Normcore EV Luxury Has Its Moment
The strongest EV statement made by the SQ6 e-tron is perhaps Audi’s most controversial. Simply put, this is a very normal-looking SUV, one that blends in well with the rest of the brand's lineup, and you'd only know it's electric upon closer examination.
That’s a sharp turn away from the extroverted countenance of the BMW iX and the Cadillac Lyriq, but it's much more interesting than the Mercedes-Benz EQE-Class’s bland wind tunnel sheetmetal. It strikes a middle ground for EV-curious customers who want an EV without advertising it.
Wondering how Audi compares with Tesla and BMW? Explore our Best Luxury Electric SUVs
The theme continues inside the SQ6, where a large infotainment screen occupies the center stack but doesn’t stretch across to dominate the entire dash. There’s a small screen placed directly in front of the front passenger, currently in vogue among luxury designers, but it’s easy to ignore from the driver’s seat.
There’s also a head-up display that comically enlarges the speedometer when you accelerate and offers an optional inclinometer that looks at least two feet wide. The gauge cluster is a bit busy, especially in the top left quadrant, where flashing icons remind you of which safety systems you’ve suspended. In my case, driver-attention monitoring.
My tester was outfitted with handsome red leather featuring attractive waffle stitching on the center insets and sporty bolsters that aren’t necessary but don’t interfere with entry or exit. There’s excellent room in both the first and second rows, and I was able to haul home a set of wheels and tires, plus a couple of axles, with the back bench folded flat. All that practicality comes in a package that feels manageable out on the road, making it easy to park and tool around town.
A Stealthy Choice Worth Considering
The 2025 Audi SQ6 e-tron is an electric SUV I can easily recommend to anyone shopping in its $75,000 price bracket. It does everything you want an EV to do in a surprisingly stealthy manner, all without shortchanging owners on utility or luxury.
It’s not the plushest EV SUV at its price point, and it won’t overwhelm you with technology, gadgets, or road presence. I'd argue that’s precisely the point: Audi allows the SQ6 to speak for itself in how seamlessly it fits into the lives of long-time customers rather than making it an all-eyes-on-me showpiece. There’s certainly room for that approach in a slice of the electric family vehicle market that’s quickly becoming crowded with prestige badges.
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