Audi Q5 SUV - Reliability & safety

It might not look like it, but the Audi Q5 sits on the same mechanical platform as the Audi A4 saloon, and features a similar roster of protective technology. Reliability appears reasonable, although Audi needs to do more to impress customers according to the latest feedback.

Audi Q5 reliability

Audi’s cars generally feel rock-solid inside, but that hasn’t always translated to strong customer satisfaction. In the most recent 2023 Driver Power survey, Audi finished in a dire 30th position from 32 brands, ahead of only Fiat and MG. Worse still for Audi, that was five positions behind the 25th-placed Mercedes-Benz, and well behind 21st-placed BMW – Audi’s key rivals. The Q5 itself didn’t feature in 2023’s survey, though the smaller Q3’s 27th place out of 75 cars might come as some consolation.

Interestingly, Skoda – another Volkswagen Group brand – came 20th out of 32 carmakers, and SEAT fell 23rd. Considering Volkswagen Group products often share mechanical components, it may be a case of Audis not quite meeting buyers’ expectations, rather than them being unreliable per se.

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Safety

The latest Q5 scored the full five stars in Euro NCAP crash-testing. Mandatory safety equipment like electronic stability control, a tyre-pressure monitoring system and ISOFIX child-seat mounts obviously feature in the Q5, but it’s good to see Audi throwing in an autonomous emergency braking system with every car.

The standard autonomous emergency braking system in the Q5 is only designed to work at up to 52mph, but research indicates 75% of all collisions occur under 25mph, and the Q5’s setup can detect pedestrians as well as larger obstacles.

If you want more safety kit, it’s time to head over to the options list. Super-bright ‘matrix’ LED lights are to be found here, and it’s also possible to specify a lane-departure warning system, a self-parking feature and adaptive cruise control.