The 2026 Audi Q5 e-hybrid quattro has been launched, the newcomer offering up to 270kW and the ability to cover more than 100km on EV power alone.

The all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid version of the third-generation 2025 Audi Q5 is once again offered with both the SUV wagon body or a Sportback SUV-coupe body style, and shares the same powertrain already employed by both the latest Audi A5 and Audi A6 sedan and wagons.

Combining a 185kW turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 105kW e-motor and a 25.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, in total the Q5 e-hybrid produces either 220kW and 450Nm for a 0-100km/h dash in 6.2 seconds, or a more muscular 270kW and 500Nm output that cuts that time to 5.1 seconds.

Thanks to the 45 per cent bigger battery compared to the last-generation Audi PHEV, the latest 2026 Q5 e-hybrid can drive up to 113km on electric power alone, according to the WLTP test cycle.

Increasing the AC charging rate from 7.4kW to 11.0kW, Audi says a 0-100 per cent top-up takes 2.5 hours, which is the same as the old car due to the new version’s much bigger battery.

Like the new A6, regenerative braking can be varied using the paddles behind the steering wheel, enabling the driver to claw back up to 88kW of power to top up the battery, with the e-motor capable of contributing up to 90 per cent of all braking.

Helping offset the expected price premium over other variants, the Q5 e-hybrid bags triple-zone climate control and the firm’s S sports suspension.

The 270kW version of the plug-in adds LED headlights all round, a premium sound system and Audi’s MMI (Multi Media Interface) experience plus infotainment.

The sporty S line pack is also thrown in, adding sport leather seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, red painted brake calipers and a handy second row that slides forwards or backwards and reclines.

No specific local timings have been given for the 2026 Audi Q5 e-hybrid quattro, but Audi Australia has confirmed that its third instalment of its mid-size luxury SUV is due to land in showrooms here by the end of this year.

Considering deliveries of the Q5 e-hybrid quattro are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year, the new plug-in hybrid could spearhead the all-new Q5’s arrival Down Under.

In Germany the cheapest 220kW Q5 e-hybrid quattro wagon is priced from €63,400 ($A112,000), while the more powerful 270kW Sportback is priced from €74,300 ($A131,000).

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