New 2025 Audi Q5 now on sale from £49,950

The new, third-gen Audi Q5 will cost almost twice as much as the Mk1 did at launch in 2008, when first examples hit the road next April.

Orders have opened for Audi's revamped best-seller, which starts from £49,950 for a 2.0-litre turbo mild-hybrid petrol four that sends 201bhp and 251lb ft through the front wheels, and £51,600 for a diesel with match capacity and power; the original car started at around £27k. 

Opt for the V6-powered SQ5, which has swapped diesel for petrol and outputs 362bhp – an increase of 20bhp, and that pushes you into Porsche Macan territory, with prices starting at £74,400.

Unlike the new A5 saloon and A5 Avant estate, the third-generation Audi Q5 won’t be offered with a pure combustion engine. Two plug-in hybrids, with 295bhp and 362bhp plus electric-only ranges of around 50 miles, will follow next year. 

The SUV, which made up 17% (334,480) of Audi’s total global sales last year, will be used to anchor the brand as it shifts away from combustion engines and into electric cars.

Audi’s renewed investment in hybrid powertrains is because the transition to electric cars is taking longer than had initially been expected.

It still plans to phase out ICE cars in eight years, though, meaning this Mk3 will be the last non-electric Q5. It has committed to offering a hybrid option in each segment until then.

“We recognised early on that plug-in hybrids were a relevant project technology, and now we see that the bridge is longer than we initially thought,” said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.