- Audi’s best-selling model in the U.S. in the third quarter was the electric Q6 E-Tron.
- Boasting up to 321 miles of electric range, excellent fast-charging and a new platform, the Q6 E-Tron is Audi’s best work yet in the EV field.
- But can its momentum last amid tariffs and the loss of the EV tax credit?
You have to get up pretty early in the morning to take down the Audi Q5. It has long held Audi’s sales crown in the U.S. and beyond for good reason—as far as gas-powered luxury crossovers go, it’s tough to find a better one.
And yet the Q5 was just dethroned in the U.S. this past quarter by its new all-electric sibling, the Audi Q6 E-Tron. Audi yesterday reported that it sold 10,059 Q6 E-Trons in the U.S. from July through September. By a few hundred models, it edged out the gas Q5, which sold 9,719 units. (I presume these numbers include their more sporting variants, the SQ6 E-Tron and SQ5.)
It’s not every day that an electric vehicle can take a brand’s top sales position, let alone defeat a perennial strong-seller like the Q5. But this happened for a few reasons that are worth digging into.
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Source: Patrick George
First and foremost, there’s the obvious answer: the EV tax credit, which ended on Sept. 30. While the German-made Q6 E-Tron did not qualify for any incentives at purchase, like all EVs, it could see $7,500 off when leased. Adding in the various discounts and incentives that Audi and its dealers might have thrown in, and it was probably an outstanding value.
There’s also the fact that the new, redesigned gas Q5 just went on sale this summer, and may have taken time to hit dealer lots. That new-model changeover is likely why Q5 sales were down 34% year-over-year.
But then there’s the fact that the Q6 E-Tron is just a damn good car. In fact, it and the SQ6 E-Tron are two of my favorite luxury EVs I’ve tested this year. While they lack the striking designs of older Audis (the German brand is working on that), their range, fast-charging, software experience and performance are pretty first-rate—and worthy of any Audi fan who wants to keep that vibe but could also break up with gasoline.
In the U.S., the Q6 and SQ6 E-Tron models are powered by a 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The base Q6 E-Tron starts at $63,800 before destination fees and offers up to 321 miles of range and 322 horsepower in single-motor rear-wheel-drive form. Opt for dual-motor all-wheel-drive and you get up to 456 hp and an estimated 307-mile range.
The AWD-only SQ6 E-Tron gets up to 510 hp, but range comes in at 275 miles. The cars have a peak charging rate of 270 kilowatts, so they should go from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes. And built on the Volkswagen Group’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), they represent a quantum leap over older Audi EV models like the Q8 E-Tron.
Photo by: Patrick George
As a fan of this EV, I’m happy to see it do well. But now I’m wondering what’s next for it. The car is German-made, after all, and could take a tariff hit. An Audi spokesperson told InsideEVs that 2026 model-year prices have been released and there are no plans to change them, but the brand is “monitoring the situation.”
Then there’s the fact that the EV leasing credit is gone. That could dampen sales for these models unless Audi keeps some incentives and discounts going. As of this writing, there’s a national $6,000 customer bonus deal for leasing or purchasing a new Q6 E-Tron that’s good through November, but we’ll see how long it lasts.
Above all, I hope Audi SUV fans will give the Q6 E-Tron a shot. They’d probably like this thing a lot if they did. We’ll know early next year whether that can keep the momentum going or not.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
