Audi S6 Sportback e-tron vs Tesla Model S (2016-2019)

The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron costs £17,275 more than the Tesla Model S. For that premium it adds 152 miles more WLTP range, 150 kW faster peak rapid charging and 121 kW more power. The Tesla Model S is not just cheaper - it also offers 243 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron comes out ahead overall.

The Tesla Model S is £17,275 cheaper to buy. The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron is cheaper to charge, roughly £168 a year versus £208 for the Tesla Model S, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Tesla Model S comes out roughly £17,075 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 342 miles for the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron and 198 miles for the Tesla Model S - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron goes roughly 145 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 21 minutes in the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron and 40 in the Tesla Model S, so the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron loses less time at each stop. That makes the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron the stronger long-distance car.

The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 41 mm narrower than the Tesla Model S. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 477 mm of total clearance for the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron and about 436 mm of total clearance for the Tesla Model S. The Tesla Model S also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Audi S6 Sportback e-tron and 85% for the Tesla Model S. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation.