Building great cars has never been Audi's problem. In 2026, the challenge is knowing which one to recommend, with hatchbacks, SUVs, EVs, saloons, estates and, for the first time, a hybrid supercar all sitting under the same four rings. Narrowing that range down to the best ten is no small task.
Recent years have proven to be ones of real transition for the brand. Audi has recently revealed the Nuvolari, a 987bhp hybrid supercar limited to just 499 examples worldwide, while retiring several long-serving favourites to make way for the next generation of electric models. That mixture of farewell and fresh start makes this an interesting time to be shopping for an Audi.
The ten models below are ranked from most to least affordable and chosen to cover a broad spread of buyers, whether that means the ideal first premium car or the last available example of an iconic flagship.
Audi A1
The Audi A1 has reached the end of its production run. After more than fifteen years and two generations, Audi has confirmed there will be no direct replacement, so the nearly-new and used car markets are the place to look.
The five-door Sportback body strikes a sensible balance between kerb appeal and everyday usability, while the cabin borrows the same dual-screen virtual cockpit and MMI touchscreen layout found in far larger Audi models. Power comes exclusively from efficient turbocharged petrol engines, ranging from a frugal three-cylinder unit up to a quick four-cylinder in range-topping form.
Together, the outgoing A1 and Q2 once accounted for roughly one in five Audi cars registered in the UK, a sizeable chunk of the brand's British business to re-imagine in one year.
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Audi's best-selling model has just been treated to a significant mid-life update, and the timing could hardly be better for anyone shopping today. The refreshed A3 introduces a new curved cockpit display, combining an 11.9-inch virtual instrument cluster with a 12.8-inch MMI touchscreen, alongside the welcome return of a physical scroll wheel on the steering wheel.
Beneath the redesigned interior, the fundamentals remain as sound as ever: efficient petrol and diesel engines, a plug-in e-hybrid variant with meaningfully expanded electric-only range, and the choice of Sportback, Saloon or the raised-ride-height allstreet body styles.
The A3 has quietly become one of Audi's most important models. For many buyers, it delivers almost everything they want from the brand without the size, complexity or cost of moving further up the range.
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The Audi Q3 has just been fully reinvented for its third generation, sporting a sharper exterior design, a modern digital interior and a broader spread of efficient petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains. As of mid-2026, Q3 production has also moved to Audi's home plant in Ingolstadt. The German factory is expanding its SUV output there, and the Q3's new line will occupy the floorspace vacated by the discontinued Q2.
Sitting between the smaller A3 and the larger Q5, it occupies one of the busiest and most competitive corners of the premium market, and Audi has responded by making the new Q3 noticeably more spacious and better equipped than the car it replaces.
Family buyers remain the natural audience, with a practical boot and comfortable rear seating, though the driving experience has been sharpened enough to appeal well beyond the school run. This has long been one of Audi's most consistent sellers, and the new generation looks well placed to build on that success.
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The Audi A5 has taken over from the long-serving A4 as Audi's core executive model, available in both Saloon and Avant bodystyles. Alongside efficient petrol and diesel engines, the range now includes e-hybrid plug-in variants with worthwhile electric-only range and a combustion engine held in reserve for longer trips.
A recent update brings the return of physical steering wheel controls in place of the outgoing touch-sensitive pads, a refreshed virtual cockpit interface and, for the first time, ChatGPT integration within the Audi assistant. Performance buyers are well catered for too, courtesy of the new RS 5, a 630bhp performance flagship that also marks the return of the RS Saloon bodystyle to the UK for the first time in two decades.
Few names in Audi's history have aged as gracefully as the A5. What began as a stylish coupé has evolved into one of the brand's core executive models without losing its visual appeal.
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The A6 is living proof that executive saloons are far from extinct. It offers the efficiency, refinement and understated confidence of a traditional four-door, distinct from the fully electric A6 e-tron sold alongside it.
Offered as both Saloon and Avant, it sits above the A5 in size while retaining the same emphasis on comfort and long-distance ability that has defined the model for decades. The cabin technology mirrors that found across the rest of the current range, with a fully digital instrument cluster and MMI touchscreen fitted as standard.
Company car drivers and families alike continue to gravitate towards the A6 because it does almost everything asked of a large saloon with very little fuss. The Avant estate adds load-carrying practicality while keeping that same composure.
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The Q4 e-tron is Audi's most accessible fully electric SUV, and a recent update has made it a considerably stronger proposition. The refreshed model introduces a new interior layout, an uprated electric motor and a useful boost to range, with the flagship Performance variant now targeting well over 350 miles from a single charge.
Charging speeds have improved too, allowing a top-up from 10 to 80 percent in well under half an hour on a suitably powerful public charger. The Q4 e-tron was also the first Audi model to offer bidirectional charging, allowing owners to power external devices directly from the car via a socket in the boot.
The Q4 e-tron makes a convincing case for a first EV. It drives, looks and feels like a familiar Audi SUV rather than being some kind of statement about the future.
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The Q5 is, in sales terms, the single most important SUV Audi builds, and the third generation continues to justify that lofty status. This is the only Audi model built entirely outside Europe. Every car sold worldwide, aside from separate production for China, comes from a factory in San José Chiapa, Mexico, over 2,000 metres above sea level.
A recent update brings a smoother regenerative braking system and an enhanced adaptive cruise assist capable of supporting driver-initiated lane changes. There is also a suite of in-car entertainment features, including Bluetooth controller support for onboard gaming.
Buyers can choose between the standard Q5 and the more design-focused Q5 Sportback, both offered with efficient petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power, while the SQ5 adds a rapid performance option. This is not the flashiest car in the Audi range, but its balance of comfort, technology and everyday usability keeps it as one of Audi's biggest sellers.
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The Q7 is the sensible, practical choice in Audi's SUV range. The Q8 takes the same underpinnings and wraps them in a dramatically lower, coupé-inspired roofline, trading some of that practicality for a striking road presence.
The Q8's flat, wide C-pillar and heavily flared wheel arches were deliberately designed to echo the original 1980s Audi Ur-quattro rally car, a styling link Audi has repeated across both the concept and the finished production model.
The cabin follows the same high standard set elsewhere in the range, with generous rear legroom despite the sloping roofline. For performance-minded buyers, the SQ8 and the formidable RS Q8 both add serious pace to the range.
The Q8 offers all the practicality of a large SUV, but with a road presence unlike anything else in the Audi line-up.
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No car on this list carries quite the same sense of occasion as the Audi A8, and, as it happens, no car on this list is closer to disappearing altogether. After more than three decades as Audi's flagship saloon, order books for the current A8 have now closed and production has come to an end. No direct successor has been confirmed for the immediate future.
For now, that leaves the A8 as a genuine last-of-the-line proposition: a supremely refined limousine with one of the most luxurious rear cabins Audi has ever built. Owners can expect effortless V6 and V8 power, and the kind of quiet, chauffeur-grade comfort that no SUV, however large, quite manages to replicate. Anyone who has ever wanted an A8 should act imminently while dealer stock remains.
Search Used Audi A8Audi e-tron GT
The e-tron GT is Audi's electric grand tourer, and quite possibly the most dramatic model the brand currently builds. Sharing its underpinnings with the Porsche Taycan, it uses the same 800-volt electrical architecture to enable rapid charging and sustained performance. Outputs range from a brisk 496bhp in standard form to a startling 912bhp in range-topping RS Performance guise.
A prototype e-tron GT made an unusual public debut on the big screen, starring in a Marvel superhero blockbuster long before the finished car ever reached a showroom. The e-tron GT has always looked more like a concept than a production model, with its low, wide stance and a strikingly special interior.
The e-tron GT proves that electric performance does not have to mean quiet efficiency and nothing else. Silent running and startling pace sit side by side, a pairing that would have seemed most unlikely a decade ago
Search New Audi e-tron GT Search Used Audi e-tron GTFrequently asked questions
There is no single best Audi to buy; it depends on budget, bodystyle and daily use. Budget-conscious buyers suit the A1 or A3. Family SUV buyers should look to the Q3 or Q5. Flagship seekers will find it in the A8 or e-tron GT.
Audi has recently discontinued a variety of models such as the A1 supermini, A8 luxury saloon, and Q2 compact SUV, with no direct replacement for any. This is part of Audi's wider shift to a re-imagined line-up that prioritises efficient, all-electric/hybrid powertrains while still maintaining the much-loved characteristics of the German marque.
Several current Audi models are fully electric, including the Q4 e-tron, e-tron GT, A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron.
The Nuvolari is Audi's first hybrid supercar. A twin-turbocharged V8 and three electric motors together produce 987bhp. Limited to 499 examples worldwide, it previews the design language expected in future Audi models, though deliveries are not due until 2027.
Experience Audi with Stratstone
Few years in Audi's recent history have offered this much change. A supercar bearing a legendary racing name now sits at the very top of the range. A flagship saloon is reaching the end of the road. Two long-serving, affordable models have been wound down to make space for an all-electric future.
Timing matters as much as budget when choosing a new or used Audi. Some models point toward the brand's future. Others offer a final chance to own a piece of its past. Whatever appeals most to you, Stratstone's specialists can talk through availability, options and finance across the full current range.
Browse our current Audi stock online, or visit your nearest Stratstone Audi dealership to arrange a test drive and find out which of these ten models suits you best.
