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Audi A5
MotorTrend says the changes come as Audi rebrands its cars by powertrain: models with odd numbers, like the A5, come with combustion engines, while even-numbered names are reserved for all-electrics. Audi Elk Grove says the A5 is powered by a 2.0-liter TFSI turbocharged inline-4 delivering 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, while the sportier S5 steps up to a 3.0-liter TFSI turbocharged V6 making 362 horsepower and 406 lb-ft. Car and Driver says the newest-generation A5 debuted only the year before, so the changes for 2026 are mostly small corrective tweaks.
Audi's new naming logic
MotorTrend (opens in a new tab) says the changes come as Audi rebrands its cars by powertrain: models with odd numbers, like the A5, come with combustion engines, while even-numbered names will be reserved for all-electrics.
Engine specs against the S5
Audi Elk Grove (opens in a new tab) says the Audi A5 is powered by a 2.0-liter TFSI turbocharged inline-4 engine, delivering 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, while the Audi S5 steps up with a 3.0-liter TFSI turbocharged V6, producing 362 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque.
What's new for 2026
Car and Driver (opens in a new tab) says the newest generation Audi A5 debuted only the year before, so the changes for 2026 are mostly small corrective tweaks.
Questions buyers ask
How much horsepower does the Audi A5 have?
Audi Elk Grove (opens in a new tab) says 268 hp from its 2.0-liter TFSI turbocharged inline-4.
Why does Audi use odd numbers for the A5 and even numbers for other models?
MotorTrend (opens in a new tab) says odd numbers denote combustion engines, while even numbers are reserved for all-electric models.
Research map
Every major decision path.
The 2027 Audi A5 is built around 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, rated at 261 / 268 horsepower across its compact luxury sedan body style.
Explore this topic →02Trims and equipmentThe 2027 U.S. lineup has 1 trim.
Explore this topic →03Towing and capabilityThe 2027 A5 seats 5 and is a Compact luxury sedan.
Explore this topic →04Safety and ownershipNHTSA recalls, complaints and crash ratings for the 2027 A5.
Explore this topic →Current model year
2027 Audi A5
Output varies by specific engine tune within the turbo-four family (261-268 hp). Audi collapsed the A5's three-trim ladder into a single Premium trim for model year 2027, configured through option packages instead of trim steps.
Read specifications, trims, answers and sourcesModel-year archive
8 indexed Audi A5 model years.
| Model year | Trims | Open record |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 Audi A5 | 2027 record → | |
| 2026 Audi A5 | 2026 record → | |
| 2025 Audi A5 | 2025 record → | |
| 2023 Audi A5 | 2023 record → | |
| 2022 Audi A5 | 2022 record → | |
| 2021 Audi A5 | 2021 record → | |
| 2018 Audi A5 | 2018 record → | |
| 2017 Audi A5 | 2017 record → |
Background and safety record
What public sources say about the Audi A5.
The Audi A5 is a series of compact executive and grand touring coupé cars produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi since June 2007. The A5 range also includes the coupe, cabriolet, and "Sportback"—a five-door liftback with a fastback roofline—derived from the Audi A4 saloon and estate models. Under Audi's internal platform numbering convention, the A5 is a member of the B-platform series of vehicles, sharing its platform designation with the A4 saloon and Avant.
- Safety
- On 16 July 2024, Audi replaced the A4/S4 Saloon and Avant with the third-generation A5/S5 as part of Audi's new strategy of allocating even numbers to electric vehicles and odd numbers to combustion cars. Coupé and convertible models are no longer offered for the third generation line-up. The saloon is equipped with a liftback and thus replaces both the A4 saloon and the A5 Sportback of the previous generation.
- Reception
- The car was praised for its design, build quality, performance, and all-wheel drive system, and is favorably viewed by the majority of the motoring press. Appraised for a rarely seen example of an excellent all-round niche car. Walter de Silva has said that the Audi A5 coupe is "his most beautiful design ever".
Source: Audi A5 (Wikipedia); safety and recall figures from NHTSA.
Audi A5 at a glance
- Production
- 2007–present
- Class
- Compact executive car (D), Grand tourer (S) (2007–2024)
- Layout
- Front-engine, front-wheel-drive / all-wheel-drive (quattro)
- Related models
- Audi A4
Audi A5 generations
The Audi A5 has been redesigned in 2016, gaps of 9 years, an average of 9.0 years between generations. The current generation (second generation) began in 2016.
| Generation | Code | Began | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| First generation | n/a | 2007–2016 | When unveiled at the March 2007 Geneva Motor Show, the A5 marked Audi's return to the compact executive coupé market after the (B3/B4) Audi 80-based coupé ended production in 1996. |
| Second generation | n/a | 2016–present | The second-generation A5 and S5 Coupé, based on the ninth generation of the Volkswagen Group MLB Platform, were unveiled on 2 June 2016. |
Recent recalls (2 campaigns across the latest model years)
- December 2025, Seat Belts:Rear/Other:Retractor. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2025 SQ6 E-Tron, SQ6 Sportback E-Tron, Q6 Sportback E-Tron, A6, A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, Q6 E-Tron, S5, and S6 Sportback E-Tron vehicles. The automatic locking retractor may fail to engage when a child… Consequence: An improperly secured child seat can increase risk of injury during a crash.
- September 2025, Seat Belts:Front:Retractor. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 GTI, Golf R, Audi A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, S5, S6 Sportback E-Tron, 2026 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, and Q4 E-Tron vehicles. The torsion bar in one or both front seat belt retractors may… Consequence: In a crash, a damaged torsion bar in a retractor could fail. If this happens, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk…
Owners filed 1 complaints with NHTSA for the 2026 Audi A5, most often about forward collision avoidance (1).
Year by year
The Audi A5 across 13 model years.
| Model year | Combined MPG/MPGe | EPA annual fuel cost | EPA records | NHTSA recalls | NHTSA complaints | NHTSA overall rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 Audi A5 | 26 | $3,050 | 1 | |||
| 2026 Audi A5 | 26 | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2025 Audi A5 | 26–29 | $2,650–$3,000 | 3 | 2 | 5 stars | |
| 2024 Audi A5 | 27–30 | $2,600–$2,850 | 4 | 5 stars | ||
| 2023 Audi A5 | 26–28 | $2,750–$3,000 | 4 | 5 stars | ||
| 2022 Audi A5 | 26–29 | $2,650–$3,000 | 4 | 2 | 5 stars | |
| 2021 Audi A5 | 26–28 | $2,750–$3,000 | 4 | 5 | 7 | |
| 2020 Audi A5 | 26–27 | $2,850–$3,000 | 3 | 4 | 60 | |
| 2019 Audi A5 | 27 | $2,850 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2018 Audi A5 | 27 | $2,850 | 4 | 6 | 8 | |
| 2017 Audi A5 | 24–26 | $3,000–$3,250 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2016 Audi A5 | 24–26 | $3,000–$3,250 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| 2015 Audi A5 | 24–26 | $3,000–$3,250 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Year-to-year changes
What changed in the Audi A5, one model year at a time.
| Step | EPA records | Combined MPG/MPGe, midpoint | Added | No longer listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | 3 to 1 | 27.5 to 26.0 | Labels: A5 Sportback quattro, A5 Sportback S line quattro; Engines: 2L 4-cyl SIDI; Mild Hybrid | |
| 2024 to 2025 | 4 to 3 | 28.5 to 27.5 | Labels: A5 quattro; Engines: 2L 4-cyl SIDI | Labels: A5 Cabriolet quattro, A5 Coupe quattro; Size classes: Subcompact Cars |
| 2023 to 2024 | 27.0 to 28.5 | Labels: A5 Sportback S line quattro | Labels: A5 Sportback S-Line quattro | |
| 2022 to 2023 | 27.5 to 27.0 | Labels: A5 Sportback S-Line quattro | Labels: A5 Sportback S line quattro | |
| 2021 to 2022 | 27.0 to 27.5 | Labels: A5 Coupe quattro | Labels: A5 quattro | |
| 2020 to 2021 | 3 to 4 | 26.5 to 27.0 | Labels: A5 Sportback S line quattro; Engines: 2L 4-cyl SIDI; Mild Hybrid | Engines: 2L 4-cyl SIDI |
| 2019 to 2020 | 27.0 to 26.5 | |||
| 2018 to 2019 | 4 to 3 | Transmissions: Manual 6-spd | ||
| 2017 to 2018 | 3 to 4 | 25.0 to 27.0 | Labels: A5 Sportback quattro; Transmissions: Automatic (AM-S7); Size classes: Midsize Cars | Engines: 2L 4-cyl SIDI; FFV; Transmissions: Automatic (S8); Fuels: Premium or E85 |
Buying used
What the Audi A5 recalls and complaints are about.
| Model year | Campaigns | Systems recalled | Warnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | seat belts (front); seat belts (rear/other) | None |
| 2022 | 2 | back over prevention (sensing system); equipment (electrical) | None |
| 2021 | 5 | exterior lighting (tail lights); suspension (rear); seat belts (rear/other); 2 more | None |
| 2020 | 4 | exterior lighting (tail lights); suspension (rear); seats; 1 more | None |
| 2019 | 3 | suspension (rear); seats; tires | None |
| 2018 | 6 | structure (body); air bags (side/window); air bags (frontal); 2 more | None |
| 2017 | 2 | engine and engine cooling (cooling system) | None |
| 2016 | 3 | engine and engine cooling (cooling system); electrical system (wiring) | None |
| 2015 | 3 | engine and engine cooling (cooling system); electrical system (wiring) | None |
| System | Complaints | Share of all complaints | Worst model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| electrical system | 49 | 45% | 2020 (41) |
| unknown or other | 32 | 30% | 2020 (25) |
| back over prevention | 16 | 15% | 2020 (15) |
| engine | 9 | 8% | 2016 (3) |
| vehicle speed control | 5 | 5% | 2019 (4) |
| power train | 5 | 5% | 2016 (2) |
Trim by trim
Every 2026 Audi A5 trim side by side.
| Trim | Drive | Engine | Horsepower | Torque (lb-ft) | Curb weight (lb) | Max towing (lb) | Combined mpg | Base price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | AWD | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 268 | 295 | 4,090 | – | 26 | $51,495 |
| Premium Plus | AWD | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 268 | 295 | 4,090 | – | 26 | $53,995 |
| Prestige | AWD | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 268 | 295 | 4,090 | – | 26 | $57,995 |
Source: Kelley Blue Book specifications for the 2026 model year; base price is KBB's national base price where its list carries the trim by the same name. A dash means KBB lists no figure.
Specifications by year
Power, weight and towing for every Audi A5 model year.
| Model year | Trims | Engines | Horsepower | Curb weight (lb) | Max towing (lb) | Fuel tank (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 268 | 4,090 | – | 14.8 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 268 | 4,090 | – | 14.8 |
| 2024 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 201 | 3,725 | – | 15.3 |
| 2023 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 201 | 3,725 | – | 15.3 |
| 2022 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 261 | 3,638 | – | 15.3 |
| 2021 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 261 | 3,715 | – | 15.3 |
| 2020 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 248 | 3,725 | – | 15.3 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 248 | 3,605 | – | 15.3 |
| 2018 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 252 | 3,605 | – | 15.3 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 220 | 3,682 | – | 16.1 |
| 2015 | 3 | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (Turbo) | 220 | 4,045 | – | 16.1 |
Source: Kelley Blue Book specifications for each model year. A range covers every trim KBB lists that year; a dash means KBB lists no figure.
Model-year recall record
Audi A5: which model years carry more or fewer federal safety recalls.
More recalls than this model’s own average
- 2018 Audi A5 : 6 recalls on file, most commonly affecting airbags and suspension.
| Model year | Federal recalls on file | Complaints on file | Recalls most commonly affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | ||
| 2025 | 2 | not available | seat belts |
| 2024 | not available | ||
| 2023 | not available | ||
| 2022 | 2 | not available | backup camera, equipment |
| 2021 | 5 | 7 | seat belts, tires, exterior lighting, suspension |
| 2020 | 4 | 60 | tires, exterior lighting, suspension, seats |
| 2019 | 3 | 12 | tires, suspension, seats |
| 2018 | 6 | 8 | airbags, suspension, structure, seats |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | engine cooling |
| 2016 | 3 | 7 | engine cooling, electrical system |
| 2015 | 3 | 9 | engine cooling, electrical system |
Method: recall counts and their affected components come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: Recalls API, queried by exact make, model and model year. Complaint counts come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: Complaints API, same query pattern. Data pulled 2026-09-04.
Known gap: the NHTSA complaints API did not return data for Audi A5 model years 2022, 2025 when queried for this page: the request itself failed upstream, not returning a genuine zero. Those years are marked "not available" above instead of shown as clean; recall counts for those years are unaffected and come from the separate recalls API, which returned data for every year listed.
Check open recalls by VIN for one particular vehicle.
Q01Is there a best year to buy a Audi A5?
Recall count alone can't answer that: it says nothing about a specific vehicle's price, mileage, accident history or maintenance record. What federal data can say: 2018 carried more. See the model-year table on this page for the exact counts and what they cover.
Q02Which Audi A5 model years should I watch for recalls?
The 2018 Audi A5 has 6 federal recalls on file, most commonly affecting airbags, suspension, structure. Always confirm the open/completed status of every campaign for the specific VIN: a recall on this list may already be repaired on the vehicle in front of you.
Q03What are common recall-related problems on the Audi A5 by model year?
2025: seat belts. 2022: backup camera, equipment. 2021: seat belts, tires, exterior lighting, suspension. 2020: tires, exterior lighting, suspension, seats. 2019: tires, suspension, seats. 2018: airbags, suspension, structure, seats.
Q04Why do some Audi A5 model years show "not available" for complaints?
The NHTSA complaints API did not return data for Audi A5 model years 2022, 2025 when queried for this page: the request itself failed upstream instead of the count genuinely being zero. Recall counts for those years are unaffected; they come from a separate NHTSA endpoint that returned data for every year listed.
Diagnosing one of these symptoms? The recalled systems above map to this site’s own ownership desks: general, evidence-first guidance that applies regardless of whether the specific vehicle in front of you was ever part of a recall campaign: Engine and cooling, Climate and electrical, Buying, records and recalls, Brakes, tires and steering.
2018 Audi A5 owners specifically: see Buying, records and recalls and Brakes, tires and steering.
Compared with
Models this Audi A5 is most often compared with.
Nearest Audi models
Other Audi models.
Frequent questions
Answers with their conditions intact.
Q01How many trims does the 2027 A5 come in?
The 2027 Audi A5 (compact luxury sedan) is offered in one trim, Premium.
Q02What are the 2027 A5 trims?
The 2027 Audi A5 comes in one trim, Premium.
Q03What engine or powertrain does the 2027 A5 use?
The 2027 Audi A5 is built around 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, rated at 261 / 268 horsepower across its compact luxury sedan body style.
Q04How much horsepower does the 2027 A5 have?
The 2027 Audi A5 is rated at 261 / 268 horsepower (2.0L turbo four-cylinder).
Q05Is AWD or 4WD available on the 2027 A5?
The 2027 Audi A5 is offered with Standard AWD.