Images
The first Audi RS 5 not to be a coupe is the first one to truly fulfil the handling promise of its RS badge. That this family five-door does this despite carrying the hefty weight of a PHEV drivetrain makes it even more impressive.
+ More
Detailed ratings
Performance Sporting Cars
Background
Building a practical mid-sized high performance car isn't as easy as it used to be. The days of big capacity high-revving engines are behind us but a lot of customers aren't yet quite ready for an EV. The PHEV alternative that leaves carries the huge downside of weight and despite adding huge power to offset that, recent Plug-in Hybrid performance products like the Mercedes-AMG C 63 and the current BMW M5 haven't been universally well received. Perhaps Audi will do better with this, their performance Plug-in Hybrid, the RS 5.
This is the third generation of RS 5 and the third time this model line has changed engines. The first two models were coupes, the original in 2011 with a 4.2-litre V8 and its replacement in 2017 with a 2.9-litre V6. The MK3, announced in early 2026, isn't really a MK3 because it isn't a coupe, the switch to 'saloon' (actually a hatch) and Avant estate body styles making it actually a more direct replacement for the brand's B9-generation RS 4. But what matters here isn't the naming convention. It's whether this car can overcome its prodigious 2.5-tonne kerb weight and be a genuine driver's car.
+ More
Range data
| Min | Max |
| Price | 89400 | 109385 |
| Insurance group 1-50 | 50 | 50 |
| CO2 (g/km) | 86 | 102 |
| Max Speed (mph) | 177 | 177 |
| Min | Max |
| 0-62 mph (s) | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Length (mm) | 4897 | 4897 |
| Width (mm) | 1953 | 1953 |
| Height (mm) | 1445 | 1445 |
| Boot Capacity (l) | 361 | 361 |
Driving experience
This is the Audi Sport division's very first Plug-in Hybrid, made possible by this third generation RS 5's 'Premium Platform Combustion' architecture. The basic drivetrain - a 2.9-litre six cylinder unit linked to an 8-speed auto - seems familiar from the B9-generation RS 5 Coupe. But around 60% of the pieces from that previous car's powerplant are now different (as is the 510PS output). And that's before you take account of the 130kW electric motor now linked to it that boosts total output to 639PS (around 50% more than that old model). And generates a devastating 825Nm of torque. More power also, if you're wondering, than the recently-departed C8-generation RS 6.
But of course all of this is needed given that in the 2,370kg Avant form most will choose, this RS 5 is around half a tonne heavier than the B9-era RS 4 it effectively replaces. Not that you'd guess that from a 0-62mph time of just 3.6s that pins you back into your seat. Add the optional speed upgrade and it'll keep going to 177mph.
That's one way of driving this car. The other extreme is simply to rely on the PHEV drivetrain's large 22kWh battery, said to be capable of taking you up to 50 miles on a charge and at speeds of up to 87mph. Ideal for fossil-free emission daily errands.
Where you might expect this whole complicated heavy confection to fall apart is at speed through the turns; it doesn't. Power goes to all four wheels and through these curves, the car makes use of a limited-slip differential that can split that power anywhere between 70/30 to 15/85 front-to-rear. What really makes it feel so surprisingly agile though is Audi's new Dynamic Torque Control system, which Audi Sport says is 'the invisible maestro' to this RS 5's dynamics. This shifts torque between the rear wheels when cornering at speed, though does so very differently to the old mechanical system that did this job on older RS5 and RS 4 models. This set-up is electric (using an 8kW motor), so reacts much quicker, able to shift up to 2,000Nm of torque to each wheel, theoretically allowing for 'insane' cornering speeds. With simply astounding levels of quattro traction.
For those times, say on a track, when you might not want ultimate levels of grip, there's also a 'drift' setting - Audi calls it the 'RS Torque Rear' mode - which allows you to slide the car about and burn up the expensive bespoke rubber (Bridgestone Potenza Sport or Pirelli P Zero R). With this, there's even a graphic on the infotainment screen that can measure the angle of your slides and rank the best ones. For track use, you'll want to spend more on the optional carbon ceramic brakes (440mm-diameter front discs and 420mm rear discs).
When you're not hooning about on a track in your RS 5, you'll be surprised by how supple the ride is in regular use, set in the 'comfort' drive mode. There's no air suspension - just adaptive twin-valve dampers with four stages of adjustment. And the anti-roll bars are passive - with no four-wheel steering system either. The steering's more direct of course than a normal A5 or S5 - the ratio set at 13:1 (down from 15:1). Plus the wheel widths are different front-to-rear on an RS 5 and the tyre sidewalls are much stiffer. Best of all, there's a violent roar under harsh acceleration in the fiercest drive settings.
+ More
Design and build
This new-era RS 5 makes quite a pavement statement. Broad shoulders. Prominent profile bulges. And sharp front splitters and side skirts, with two massive exhaust pipes out back. Like the old RS 4 was on the Continent, Saloon and Avant estate body styles are being offered (though the 'saloon' here is actually a five-door hatch). But this RS 5 is 120mm longer than a B9-era RS 4 - so nearly as big as the old C8-era RS 6.
It's also very different from the A5/S5 models it's based on - the only carry-over panels from the normal model are the bonnet, the roof and the tailgate. The blistered wheelarches house outlet vents that channel air out of the wheel wells, with most customers likely to upgrade from the standard 20-inch alloys to beefier 21-inch rims. The track is 40mm wider front and rear than a regular A5. There's a double-deck rear spoiler. Chequered flag motifs in the daytime running lights. And a huge central front grille for imposing overtaking presence.
Inside, the front-of-cabin experience is as focused as you'd want, with unique honeycomb-quilted sports seats. And a flat top-and-bottomed RS Sport steering wheel with a 12 o'clock marker and integrated RS drive mode satellite controls, along with a bespoke 'Boost' button. There's a lot of contrast-stitched dinamica microfibre trim in amongst all the nappa leather and Vanadium-effect inlays - it's all very high-end.
Like other A5s, this one gets the brand's curved OLED Audi MMI Panorama dash-top display. The full-house version including a 10.9-inch passenger-side monitor and a head-up display. The 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument screen gives detailed data such as engine revolutions, speed, g-forces, lap times, temperatures and individual tyre pressures. It also houses a shift light for the Tiptronic auto transmission. The 14.5-inch MMI central touchscreen can show real-time information about the interplay between the petrol engine and the electric motor under acceleration and regenerative braking.
As usual in an A5, there's comfortable space for two adults in the rear, but it'd be a squash for three. You might be disappointed to find that boot space has shrunk significantly over an ordinary A5 - to 330-litres in the 'saloon' hatch or 361-litres in the Avant. For reference, it's 476-litres in an S5 Avant. An even bigger annoyance is that the boot floor doesn't lift, so there's nowhere to put the charging leads - or even the tyre repair kit.
+ More
Market and model
Let's get to RS 5 pricing, pitched from launch at around £90,000 for the five-door 'Saloon' with £1,900 more necessary for the Avant estate. There's a choice of three trim levels either way - standard, 'Carbon Black' or top 'performance Vorsprung'. And prices for the top estate range up towards a heady £110,000.
At the entry point to the range, the RS 5 models ride on 20-inch 6-twin-spoke alloy wheels finished in dark Galvano silver and feature a black styling package taking in elements including the spoiler, window trim, door mirror surrounds, door handle inserts, RS badges and Audi rings. The blades in the front bumper, inserts in the side skirts and rear diffuser are also finished in gloss black, as is the Saloon's split-lip frontal spoiler. Darkened Matrix LED headlights incorporating driver-selectable active light signatures continue the theme, while at the rear the LED taillights are linked by a striking illuminated light strip.
As part of the upgrade to 'Carbon Black' specification, the RS 5 gains larger 21-inch alloy wheels in the 6-twin-spoke design in Neodymium grey matte, along with a high gloss carbon finish for the rear spoiler, mirror housings, front air intake blades and side skirts. In the RS 5 Saloon Carbon Black the lipped rear diffuser surround is also trimmed in high gloss carbon.
At the very top of the range, the RS 5 'performance Vorsprung' models get exclusive RS performance bumpers incorporating further enlarged air intakes at the front and an even more distinctively styled rear diffuser, which houses matte black tailpipes. These produce an even more evocative RS sound as part of the top model's RS sport exhaust system upgrade.
To complement the dark tailpipes, the RS 5 'performance Vorsprung' model's 21-inch alloy wheels are finished in Phantom Black, and the overall look is also elevated further by the addition of special carbon camouflage trim for the spoiler, mirror housings, air intake blades, skirts and, in the case of the RS 5 Saloon performance Vorsprung, the rear diffuser surround.
The RS 5 'performance Vorsprung' models are also unique in the range in featuring an upgrade from LED to second-generation Digital OLED taillights offering selectable digital light signatures, including a chequered flag signature that is unique to the RS 5.
+ More
Cost of ownership
When plugged in, the RS 5 can charge at up to 11kW, meaning the battery can be restored from 0% to 100% in about 2.5 hours. The whole reason that Audi has switched to a PHEV drivetrain for a car of this kind is that the days of fitting a huge engine to an executive saloon or estate are largely behind us. The Benefit-in-Kind taxation implications for owners are just too prohibitive. Even this RS 5 is BiK-rated at 26% - mainly thanks to rated CO2 figures of 87-106g/km based on full use of the 50 mile EV range.
That BiK rate is expensive enough, as will be your fuel bills if you take this Audi to the track - the Nurburgring Nordschleife perhaps, where only 1% of the cars that visit are Audis. This RS 5 has a combined cycle fuel figure of up to 74mpg, but the relatively small 48-litre fuel tank will see you filling it up more frequently than you might like. And fuel economy will drop into the 23-29mpg bracket when PHEV battery power is depleted.
The times during which the driver doesn't have their foot on the throttle are of major importance to the Plug-in Hybrid set-up's efficiency. Energy recovery is controlled depending on the selected gear in accordance with a pre-defined deceleration rate. In addition, automatic recuperation can be activated via the MMI. It lets the vehicle vary regeneration automatically.
While the RS 5 is moving under electric power, the regen rate can be adjusted during coasting in three stages using steering wheel paddles - just like on the brand's all-electric models.
There are two operating modes - 'EV' and 'Hybrid'. In EV mode, the car relies solely on electric propulsion. Besides automatic operation in Hybrid mode, a preferred state of charge for the battery can be selected using a digital slider, meaning users have full control over how far the battery is charged. For example, they might decide to set it to a level that allows all-electric motoring near a destination that doesn't have a charging point. Predictive operating strategies optimize energy planning for the upcoming route. The aim is to cover city driving and traffic jams on electric power - for more efficiency, lower local emissions, and a hybrid experience.
Whenever the selected state of charge (SoC) is below the current SoC, the battery is discharged to this value. As long as both values are the same, the combustion engine propels the car, saving battery charge. If the target SoC is above the current SoC, the combustion engine charges the high-voltage battery. During driving, the battery can be charged up to 80%.
+ More
Summary
Is this the ultimate family performance car? It might be. Somehow, the RS 5 manages to offer almost everything, though there's a high price to pay for one of the finest models Ingolstadt's RS division has ever produced. So clever are the handling electronics that you really might well forget this car's enormous weight when you're at speed through the turns. It's somewhat ironic that in the past, Audi Sport never managed to make far lighter models handle this well.
This RS 5 is frantically quick - and potentially huge fun on a circuit with its drift mode engaged. Yet it's comfortable to commute in and there's enough battery range to use it like an EV for weekly suburban trips. It's a long time since we've rated a fast performance Audi highly, but this one's a bit special.
+ More
Have you considered these alternative models...
Find a Review
We have over 500 new and used car reviews to help you find your next car.
Browse reviews and model guides for all makes
