Audi Q8 review
The Audi Q8 is a big, bold, and luxurious SUV that blends a stunning, tech-filled interior with head-turning looks and impressive practicality.
Author: The Cazoo editorial team
6th Jan 2026 – 8 mins read
If you want an SUV that really makes a statement, the Audi Q8 is hard to ignore. It’s the sleeker, more stylish sibling to the super-practical seven-seat Audi Q7. With its sloping roofline and aggressive design, it’s designed to turn heads, but without sacrificing too much of the space and comfort you expect from a large Audi. Launched in 2018, it’s a car that’s all about luxury, technology, and presence. The Q8 offers a fantastic interior that’s packed with screens and feels incredibly well-built. It’s also surprisingly practical for a coupe-style SUV, with plenty of room for five people and a massive boot. While it might not be quite as sporty to drive as its muscular looks suggest, it’s a supremely comfortable and quiet cruiser that makes long journeys feel effortless.
Pros
- Bold, aggressive looks that have real road presence
- Fantastic interior quality packed with the latest tech
- Very practical for a coupe-style SUV, with a big boot
Cons
- It's a very expensive car, especially in higher trims
- The steering can feel a bit vague and the gearbox slow to react
- It isn't as sporty to drive as its looks might suggest
Interior
Dashboard & tech
The cabin of the Q8 is an amazing place to be, feeling more like the cockpit of a private jet than a car. It’s dominated by Audi’s dual-screen MMI system in the centre of the dashboard – one for the infotainment and another below it for the climate controls. It looks incredibly futuristic and works brilliantly.
On top of that, you also get Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, a digital screen that replaces the traditional instrument dials. The build quality is exceptional, with premium materials used everywhere you look and touch. It’s a tech-lover’s dream and one of the best interiors in any car on sale today.
Comfort
The Q8 is a fantastic long-distance cruiser. The cabin is incredibly quiet and refined, and the standard air suspension does a great job of soaking up bumps in the road, making for a smooth and relaxing ride.
There’s plenty of space for everyone to get comfortable, with supportive seats and a commanding view of the road. It’s a car that makes you feel relaxed and secure, whether you’re navigating city streets or cruising on the motorway.
Quality
Audi is known for its incredible build quality, and the Q8 is no exception. Everything inside feels solid, expensive, and beautifully put together. From the feel of the leather to the click of the switches, it’s clear that this is a premium product. It has the high-end feel you’d expect from a car at this price point, easily rivalling alternatives from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Practicality & boot space
Interior space
Despite its sloping roofline, the Q8 is a surprisingly practical car. It’s a strict five-seater, unlike the seven-seat Q7 it’s based on, but those five seats are very accommodating. There’s loads of headroom and legroom for passengers in the back, and the cabin is wide enough for three adults to sit side-by-side in comfort.
Boot space
The boot is another strong point. At 605 litres, it’s massive, offering more space than you’ll find in its direct rival, the BMW X6. It’s more than enough room for a family holiday, a set of golf clubs, or a very big weekly shop. While you do lose a bit of height compared to the boxier Q7, the boot is still huge and very usable.
Versatility
With its roomy five-seat cabin and large boot, the Q8 is a versatile luxury SUV. It can easily handle the demands of family life, while also being a comfortable and stylish car for business or long trips. The standard quattro all-wheel-drive system provides excellent grip and all-weather confidence, and it’s a very capable tow car.
Driving
Driving experience
While the Q8’s aggressive styling might suggest a sporty drive, it’s actually a car that prioritises comfort and refinement. It’s incredibly quiet and composed, making it a relaxing car to drive. The steering can feel a little vague, and the automatic gearbox can sometimes be slow to respond, so it doesn't feel as sharp as a Porsche Cayenne Coupe.
However, it’s an effortless long-distance machine. It cruises on the motorway in near-silence and makes you feel completely in command. For those who want more excitement, the high-performance SQ8 and RS Q8 models offer thunderous performance and a much more engaging driving experience.
Performance
The standard Q8 engine is a powerful 3.0-litre V6 diesel, badged ’50 TDI’, which produces 282bhp. It uses mild-hybrid technology to help improve efficiency and provides smooth, effortless performance. It’s quick enough for a car of this size, getting from 0-60mph in just 6.3 seconds.
A V6 petrol engine (’55 TFSI’) is also available. For ultimate performance, the SQ8 uses a mighty 4.0-litre V8 diesel with 429bhp, while the top-of-the-range RS Q8 has a twin-turbo petrol V8 that turns this luxury SUV into a true supercar-slayer.
Running costs
Fuel economy & CO2 emissions
Being a large, heavy SUV means the Q8 is never going to be a cheap car to run. However, the standard 3.0-litre diesel engine is reasonably efficient for its size, thanks to its mild-hybrid technology. It has a claimed fuel economy of around 40.9mpg, which isn’t bad at all. The petrol models will be thirstier, and the high-performance SQ8 and RS Q8 will be very expensive to fuel, as you’d expect.
Value for money
The Q8 is a premium car with a premium price tag, starting from over £65,000 when new. This puts it right up against its main rivals, the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The options list is long and expensive, so it’s easy to push the price even higher. On the used market, the Q8 can look like a good buy, as it tends to lose its value quite quickly from new, meaning you can get a lot of car for your money.
Reliability & Warranty
The Q8 is still a relatively new model, so long-term reliability data is limited. However, Audi as a brand generally has a decent reputation, and the Q8 uses lots of technology that’s tried and tested in other models. From new, all Audis come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, so many used examples will still have some of this manufacturer cover remaining.
Safety
Safety features
The Audi Q8 is a very safe car, packed with the latest technology to protect you and your passengers. It was awarded the maximum five-star rating when it was crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, with excellent scores across the board.
It comes with a host of advanced driver assistance systems as standard, with even more available on higher-spec models. This includes everything from autonomous emergency braking to adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system to help you with parking.
Trims & Engines
Trim levels
The Q8 is available in a range of high-spec trim levels. The range starts with the S line, which is very well-equipped with 21-inch alloy wheels, HD Matrix LED headlights, the Virtual Cockpit, and front sports seats.
The Black Edition (originally launched as ‘Edition 1’) adds larger 22-inch wheels and a black styling pack for a stealthier look. The top-of-the-range Vorsprung model is packed with every feature you can imagine, including all-wheel steering, a panoramic sunroof, massaging front seats, and a premium Bang & Olufsen sound system.
Engines
The core engine in the Q8 range is the 50 TDI, a 3.0-litre V6 diesel with 282bhp. There’s also a petrol version, the 55 TFSI, which is a 3.0-litre V6 with 335bhp.
The high-performance SQ8 model originally came with a 4.0-litre V8 diesel engine producing 429bhp, but this was later replaced with a 500bhp V8 petrol engine. The range-topping RS Q8 uses an even more powerful version of this petrol V8, with nearly 600bhp. All models come with a smooth Tiptronic automatic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive as standard.