Used Audi E-tron GT 2021-2024 review

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Ingolstadt's take on the Taycan combines striking looks with a high-class interior and never feels short of pace

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The Audi E-tron GT is far more than a Porsche Taycan in different clothes. The two share their J1 architecture and near-identical proportions, but while the sportier Porsche’s goal is driver appeal, Audi’s flagship EV plays the role of electric grand tourer.

The softer-edged E-tron GT was launched in 2021 and cost around £85,000 new, or closer to £100k with options. Depreciation hasn’t been kind on the E-tron, though, which means you can now snap up Audi’s elegant electric GT for a scarcely believable £30,000.

Older Taycans are now going for similar cash, and you can pick up a Tesla Model S for even less money – but Ingolstadt’s EV exec could be the smarter buy.

The Audi feels every bit the premium proposition inside, decked out with gleaming polished metals, plush leather and a brace of crisp digital displays.

Unlike the screen-first Taycan and Tesla, though, the Audi’s cockpit majors on tactile appeal and ergonomics, with its glossy screens complemented by conventional button-operated climate controls that are far easier to operate on the move.

The Audi doesn’t offer more space than the Taycan, but even with its rakish roofline there’s plenty of room inside. Taller passengers might find the rear a little snug, but most cars have been optioned with a panoramic roof, which makes the cabin feel airy.

The boot holds just 405 litres and the opening is narrow, but it’s easy to fold the seats and slip your skis/clubs/rods in.

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Unlike the Taycan, the E-tron GT came exclusively with a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain producing 469bhp as standard, or 523bhp with launch control activated for a 0-62mph time of just 4.1sec.

If, mystifyingly, you find that too sedate, consider the 590bhp RS E-tron GT: activate its launch control and power jumps to 637bhp for 0-62mph in a blistering 3.3sec. That’s impressive in anything, never mind a 2.3-tonne saloon.

Full-bore launches, though, will quickly drain the battery, but the E-tron has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to keep range anxiety at bay.

As standard, it’s fitted with a 93kWh battery, which gives the entry-level E-tron GT Quattro a 298-mile range (283 miles in the RS).

You’re more likely to achieve 230-240 miles in the real world, and while that’s some way off the Model S (350 miles), it’s better than an entry-level Taycan, which can return only around 220 miles from its smaller 79kWh battery.

You can get the Taycan with the same 93kWh battery, but a tidy 2021 dual-motor 4S (with similar performance to the Audi) that has covered around 20,000 miles will cost you around £3000-£4000 more than an equivalent E-tron GT.

Because the Audi inherited the Taycan’s 800V architecture, it can charge at up to 270kW, which means a 10-80% boost takes only around 25 minutes.

You’ll barely have time to grab a coffee if you stop and charge at a motorway services (with a suitably quick charger), and such speeds mean you’ll feel comfortable doing longer journeys, too.

In fact, it’s on these longer road trips where the E-tron comes into its own. It hides its mass incredibly well, with a 50:50 weight distribution endowing it with impressive balance and agility.

Sure, it’s not as dynamic as the Porsche, and its steering lacks a bit of communication, but as we said when we tested the car in 2021: “The Audi rides with a luxurious plushness befitting its remit.”

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RELIABILITY

Is the Audi E-tron GT reliable?

The GT does have a number of known issues, and dealerships and independent specialists are familiar with what tends to go wrong. While the GT has less moving parts than its ICE counterparts, there are plenty of things that can still break or fail. 

Like many electric cars, most of the issues that afflict the GT are software related, but these can typically be resolved via an update at a dealer. We'd also recommend getting a dealer warranty should any major components like the battery or motor fail. 

Drivetrain: Watch out for the dreaded dead throttle pedal, especially after coming to a stop at traffic lights. Turning the car on and off again can cure the issue, but a software update should stop it recurring – check the car’s history to see if this has been done.

Some 2023 cars were recalled due to battery fire risk, so check to make sure that has been done too.

Gearbox: Watch out for the ‘Drive system malfunction’ message on the dash – various issues can cause it. Worst case is the car will need a new gearbox and coolant system, which can fail, but a software update can sometimes cure it.

Tyres: Big EVs with oodles of power generally get through tyres quickly so check the wide, 265-section rubber. A set of four can easily set you back £1000.

Brakes: A long brake pedal or fluctuating pressure could mean brake module failure. Replacement costs vary, but a new servo is between £600 and £1000.Make sure the brake hoses have been repaired, particularly if you’re looking at a 2022-24 car. Front axle hoses could tear, leading to brake failure.

Electrics: Cameras and infotainment screens are susceptible to software glitches. Dealer updates should cure them. Same applies to the rear spoiler, which can sometimes fail to deploy.

‘Electrical system fault. Safely stop the vehicle’ is a warning message you don’t want to see. It could mean the front motor is leaking coolant and needs replacing – it can cost around £10k if you don’t have a warranty.

An owner’s view

Dusan Prastalo: “I’ve owned a 2022 E-tron GT since July last year and love its stunning looks, high-quality interior and smooth, powerful drive. Despite initial hesitation about battery longevity, I was won over by the design. It’s comfortable, has good range (260-280 miles) and solid efficiency (up to 3.9mpkWh).

"There were a few early issues – recalls, a brief SOS fault, noisy brakes and rattling plastic trim. Surprisingly, build quality doesn’t feel as premium as on my older Audi TT and A1. Still, I enjoy the driving experience and performance, though Audi could have done better with traditional quality details like door feel and cabin refinement.”

Also worth knowing

E-trons need servicing at a dealer or specialist every two years or 20,000 miles, whichever is first.

The standard Goodyear Eagle F1s are tailored towards efficiency, so if you want a bit more grip you might consider swapping them for Michelin Pilot Sport 4s.

E-tron GTs are available in Vorsprung trim; RS versions come in Carbon Black, which adds sporty black styling, or range-topping Carbon Vorsprung, which has a carbonfibre roof and Alcantara cabin trim.

DESIGN & STYLING

Audi E-tron GT profile static

Eagle-eyed car spotters will have noticed that the Audi E-tron GT and Porsche Taycan share the same glasshouse and low-slung, wide stance proportions, but neat work by designers meant that the Audi very much had its own identity.

If anything, it was the more eye-catching of the pair, with its sharp creases over the wing and fake grille at the front giving it a more distinct identity than the slightly amorphous Porsche.

Under the skin, however, there was nowhere near as much differentiation. The Audi used the same, heavily modified version of the MSB platform that used a mix of aluminium and high-strength steel for rigidity and lightness.

Even so, it was no flyweight, with our scales registering it at a portly 2351kg - although the mass was at least apportioned in a near perfect 50:50 distribution over the front and rear axles.

Take a look at the mechanical specification and it wasn't hard to fathom why the Audi was such a heavyweight. For starters, the GT used a pair of AC synchronous motors, one driving the front axle and one at the rear.

While the one at the front was driven through a single-speed gearbox and an open differential, the one at the rear had a two-speed transmission that helped the car to deliver both launch-control-assisted maximum acceleration and a long-legged cruising gait. 

Power was rated at 469bhp, but with launch control engaged you had access to 523bhp for two and a half seconds, while torque was increased to 472lb ft for the same period, although this was a fairly modest uplift from the standard 464lb ft.

Powering these motors was a large 93kWh battery (of which 84kWh was usable) that was carefully packaged under the floor to maximise interior space and keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.

All in there were 33 battery modules, each comprising 12 separate pouch cells, which were individually monitored for voltage and temperature.

Like the Taycan, the E-tron GT also benefitted from an 800V architecture, which meant it was capable of very rapid DC charging (where available) of up to 270kW in as little as 30 minutes.

This set-up allowed for a higher consistent output from the battery and required less chunky cabling, saving weight and complexity.

Suspension was double wishbones at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear, while adaptive dampers and coil springs were also standard.

Our top-of-the-range Vorsprung test car, however, added the height-adjustable three-chamber air suspension, as well as four-wheel steering, which turned up to 2.8deg in the opposite direction to the fronts below 31mph, then in the same direction from around 50mph upwards.

INTERIOR

Audi E-tron GT dashboard

The E-tron GT’s Porsche roots were on display front and centre here: the cosseting driving position placed you at the centre of the action, especially so given the panoramic view forward offered by the wraparound windscreen. 

There was a wide range of seat and wheel adjustment, while the pedals were arranged well, with the centrally located brake allowing comfortable use by either the right or left foot.

The steering wheel had a nicely thin rim, while metal paddles on the back of the spokes gave quick access to the three-stage regenerative braking. Ahead of you sat the brand’s trademark Virtual Cockpit.

Given Audi’s obsession with touchscreens, it was gratifying to see that the E-tron GT had ditched the multiple TFT screens of lesser models for a better balanced combination of glossy infotainment display and more traditional push-button climate control unit.

Yes, the blocky temperature display graphics looked a bit old hat, but it was a price we were willing to pay for an intuitive heating and ventilation system that was a doddle to use on the fly.

Sitting above this was the large 10.1in MMI infotainment screen, which was also fairly straightforward to use, with crisp graphics and a logical menu layout.

There were no hot keys or rotary controls whatsoever, though, and if you wanted to skip musical tracks or adjust the volume without using the screen, you had to use a bizarrely small touchpad on the transmission tunnel. 

It was generally a quiet and relaxing place to pass the time, with wind noise well checked and road roar only becoming noticeable on coarse surfaces.

Of course, the motor was unobtrusive, but over bumps this only highlighted the surprising amount of creaks from the interior trim; perhaps a corollary of being made as light as possible to offset the weight of the motor and batteries.

The materials all looked like they were up to Audi’s top-notch standards, but squeeze and poke a little and you’d discover they were underpinned by fairly flimsy materials. 

Given its generous external dimensions, the E-tron GT was no more than adequately practical, matching its close relation the Porsche Taycan. 

There was plenty of room for the driver and passenger, while even those sitting in the second row got more space than you’d think, especially for a car with such a low-slung roofline, although those over six foot would have found their head just scraping the ceiling.

Oddment stowage wasn't particularly impressive, running to a couple of cupholders in the centre console, a small compartment under the armrest between the front seats and shallow door bins.

The 405-litre boot was a decent size, however, even if the opening was narrow, while the rear seats could be folded flat quickly and easily. Under the bonnet was a small area for overflow luggage, plus it held the tyre mobility foam and compressor, as well as the first aid kit.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Audi E-tron GT front cornering

We’d become used to the instant acceleration offered by pure electric vehicles, but the energy with which the E-tron GT launched off the line was impressive. 

Given this was the entry-level model, the numbers weren’t as outrageous as some, but a 0-60mph time of 4.1sec was not to be sniffed at, while 100mph came up in a fraction over nine seconds. In sports car circles, these were major-league figures.

Of course, accelerative forces aside, there was nothing remarkable about the way the Audi delivered its performance.

Simply engage Dynamic mode and hold the car on the brake with your left foot before mashing the throttle with your right (to ensure you had the full, launch-control-assisted 523bhp), then release the brakes and away you go.

In the dry there was no wheelspin, the computers meting out just the right amount of torque from the motors to balance against the available traction, while the noise was a cross between a Tube train pulling out of a station and a starship hitting warp drive, although it was quickly drowned out by the rush of wind from around the A-pillars and the roar of tyres on Tarmac.

So it came as something of a surprise that this linear surge of acceleration was interrupted by a jolting gearchange from the rear axle’s two-speed transmission as it shifted from the lower sprint ratio to the longer cruising gear.

Each and every acceleration run it fired home with the same abrupt violence that was at odds with the usual silky-smooth EV delivery. Fortunately, this quirk rarely manifested itself on the road, where even in its taller-striding second gear, the Audi had more than enough pace in reserve to rarely require a shift down to first.

In fact, it was on the road that the GT’s performance was most impressive, feeling furiously quick when needed but not quite as intimidatingly fast as the more powerful RS versions or the closely related Porsche Taycan Turbo S.

Power could be accurately deployed and the instant muscle allowed easy and safe overtaking. The combination of all that available muscle and four-wheel drive traction allowed you to deal with most slower traffic with little more than a toe flex.

Yes, it was aurally undramatic, but this strong and silent character suited the E-tron’s GT schtick down to the ground.

When you needed to slow down, the Audi did a decent job of blending between regenerative and friction braking, with both a progressive pedal action and strong retardation power.

However, that was partly because the slowing effect of the electric motors in their generating mode was ever so subtle, to the point of not existing in its default setting.

You could dial up the resistance by two further stages by pulling on the left-hand ‘shift’ paddle on the wheel, but even in its strongest setting there was very little ‘engine’ braking. This was not a car that could be driven using one pedal.

RIDE & HANDLING

Audi E-tron GT front dynamic

Despite the car’s close mechanical and structural relationship to the Porsche Taycan, engineers at Audi were keen to ensure that the E-tron GT had its own unique character, and overall they succeeded.

That meant the Audi wasn't as dynamic or engaging a machine as its Zuffenhausen twin, but in many ways its more laid-back and slightly detached feel was more in keeping with its efficient and slightly antiseptic electric drivetrain.

Like the Porsche, however, the Audi did a great job of disguising its not inconsiderable 2351kg mass, according to our scales.

Crucially, this mass was set low and spread with near perfect equity between the front and rear axles. It meant that on the road the GT felt far more balanced and agile than any car weighing this amount had a right too, slicing through corners with a flat attitude and feeling planted during quick direction changes with barely any hint that the car could literally be carried away with all that mass.

Push harder and the Audi started to lose its composure a little, with big compressions and sudden crests seeing it become just a touch ragged, and lack ultimate body control.

The suspension just also struggled to keep a handle on proceedings as it reached its limits, and lacked the Porsche’s active anti-roll bars and more focused spring and damper rates. There was no waywardness as such, but it acted as a gentle reminder that you probably didn't want to try any harder.

Like in ICE Audis, the steering didn't offer much in the way of weighting, but it was quick and accurate, and allowed you to place the large E-tron GT just where you wanted it.

There wasn't a great deal of feel, while switching to the Dynamic setting merely added some artificial feeling of weight and resistance, but then this wasn’t a car that encouraged you to press-on – as its name suggested, it was more of a GT car, which was something it was rather good at.

Dial back on your commitment and the Audi was a quick, capable and easy-going companion. The instant squirt of torque, those light controls, and the grippy and precise handling allowed you to cover ground at an astounding rate without breaking a sweat.

As a way of getting from here to there in as fast and fuss-free a manner as possible, the E-tron was mighty impressive and (whisper it) arguably better suited to its electric drivetrain than the Porsche.

On the Vorsprung’s standard air springs there was some waft to the high-speed ride, the GT coping well with smoothly surfaced yet roughly foundationed sections of Tarmac.

Sharper ridges and broken Tarmac did result in the occasional jarring thud, but that was partly down to those massive 21in RS wheels. Overall, though, the Audi rode with a luxurious plushness befitting its remit.

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Audi E-tron GT front dynamic

The E-tron GT needed to work a bit harder in terms of range. A claimed 298 miles was possible, according to official WLTP figures, while our calculations suggested a touring range of around 227 miles could be achieved.

Either way, both those figures were well over 100 miles off what Tesla claimed for its big five-seat Model S, and for many buyers that would be a decisive advantage.

VERDICT

Audi E-tron GT front static

Given how closely related the E-tron GT is to the Porsche Taycan, it would be easy to assume that this was just a cynical exercise in badge engineering; and because of the way electric motors deliver their performance, the similarities are in some respects uncanny.

Yet the real surprise was that the more time you spend with the Audi, the more you realised the brand’s engineers had imbued it with its own distinct character.

One that was better than the Porsche? No, but it was different. It wasn't quite as engaging or ultimately as capable, but it wasn't far behind and it slipped into your life even more easily, looked better and had an interior that worked more intuitively. 

Ultimately, there was a place for both, but there was also an argument that the Audi’s character, with its softer ride and lighter controls, better suited the easier-going EV vibe.

It wasn't at its best in Vorsprung guise, which added more than £25,000 to the price in exchange for many dynamic enhancements that did little to enhance driver engagement.

That said, the E-tron GT was a hugely capable and likeable car, and one that signaled an all-electric future was one to be embraced rather than feared. 

 

James Disdale

James Disdale
Title: Special correspondent

James is a special correspondent for Autocar, which means he turns his hand to pretty much anything, including delivering first drive verdicts, gathering together group tests, formulating features and keeping Autocar.co.uk topped-up with the latest news and reviews. He also co-hosts the odd podcast and occasional video with Autocar’s esteemed Editor-at-large, Matt Prior.

For more than a decade and a half James has been writing about cars, in which time he has driven pretty much everything from humble hatchbacks to the highest of high performance machines. Having started his automotive career on, ahem, another weekly automotive magazine, he rose through the ranks and spent many years running that title’s road test desk. This was followed by a stint doing the same job for monthly title, evo, before starting a freelance career in 2019. The less said about his wilderness, post-university years selling mobile phones and insurance, the better.

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