5 Of The Most Reliable Audi Models You Can Buy Used
Audi was founded in 1899 by August Horch, who had previously spent three years managing production for Carl Benz. 10 years later, after a conflict with the board of directors, he left his established company and started a new auto manufacturing enterprise. Forced to develop a fresh name for his new venture, Horch went with the Latin translation of his surname, "Audi," and introduced that brand's first car in 1910.
Audi began its long history of success in motorsport with three straight wins in the demanding International Austrian Alpine Rally in 1912, 1913, and 1914. In 1932, Audi joined forces with Horch's old company and fellow Saxon manufacturers DKW and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG, and the merged company adopted the four interlocking rings logo that Audi uses today. In 1965, Volkswagen purchased the Audi brand from Daimler-Benz.
In its 90-year history, Audi AG has produced a long list of memorable and reliable vehicles, drawing on its motorsport success (Stig Blomqvist and Walter Röhrl won 23 World Rally Championship races and four WRC titles in Audi Quattros in a six-year period). With Audi poised to join the Formula1 grid in 2026, let's take a look at five of the most reliable models you can buy used today.
2008-2011 A6
Audi produced eight generations of the A6 beginning in 1994, and the fourth generation — the 2008-2011 model years — stands out as one of the most desirable and dependable. The A6 was first introduced as a replacement for the 5000, and by the fourth generation, the A6 was powered by either a 3.2-liter V6 or a 4.2-liter V8. This upgrade also saw the addition of before-its-time systems such as navigation, adaptive cruise control, a lane departure warning alarm, and voice recognition capabilities. These electronic enhancements didn't take away from the A6's reputation for reliable operation. The 2010 model has an 84/100 consumer rating from JD Power, and owners of that vintage A6 who left reviews on cars.com rated it 4.6 stars out of five.
Bill H. from Cleveland titled his review "Extremely reliable, and it rides nice" and wrote, "It is solidly built, quiet, and smooth. If you're looking for a good reliable used car, this is it!"
2009-2016 A4
The A4 from that same era enjoys a similar reputation for reliability as its slightly larger cousin. The A4 was first sold in the United States for the 1996 model year, and the fourth generation arrived in 2009. Buyers could choose between a sedan, wagon, or convertible but initially could only drive away under the power of a 265 horsepower 3.2-liter V-6; a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder option was added later.
In 2013, the high-performance S4 version got a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 that put out 333 horsepower; that engine could be paired with an optional seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The 2013 A4 enjoys an 84/100 consumer rating from JD Power and an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars from owners at cars.com. Blade from Philadelphia gave it five stars in every category and wrote, "Reliable, Beautiful, Comfortable, Fast and Economic. I love Audi cars; this is my 3rd Audi car, and will buy them again."
2016 Q5
Audi produced the first generation Q5 for the 2008 model year and gave it an update in 2012 before introducing some major upgrades with the second generation in 2016. Those improvements included a standard panoramic moonroof, an upgraded infotainment system, and the introduction of Audi's first gas/electric hybrid drive system for United States markets. Buyers could also opt for a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine, a 272 horsepower gas-fueled 3.0 liter V6 or a 240 horsepower 3.0-liter diesel V6.
JD Power gives the 2016 Q5 an 83/100 consumer rating, and the 45 buyers who posted ratings at cars.com gave it an average of 4.8 out of five stars. Several reviewers noted that they had only needed to perform routine maintenance on their Q5s, including Roeck from Boca Raton, Florida, who wrote, "We love this car. Our Q5 has 170,000 miles had various age resulted suspension, fuel, and water pump repairs/maintenance, but nothing too abnormal. With continued maintenance, it will run another 50k miles, so we hope."
2014-2017 TT
One of Audi's most performance-oriented models also has a history of reliable, although exhilarating, performance. The TT was introduced as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show and went into production three years later. A 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine powered the TT until 2003 when a 247-horsepower 3.2-liter V6 was introduced. A second generation came in 2006, and Audi expanded the TT lineup in 2007 and 2008 with diesel, roadster, TTS, and RS models.
The RS was truly racetrack-ready, with a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine capable of 335 horsepower that shot the RS from zero to 60 in a face-rippling 4.4 seconds and gave it a top speed of 174 mph.
The third generation TT was introduced in 2014 and featured a digital instrument display and a move from all-wheel drive to front-wheel drive. While the third-generation TT models included a special limited 20th-anniversary edition, Audi decided to mark the TT's 25th anniversary this year by ending production of the model. Fans of the sporty coupe can still find plenty of reliable 3rd-generation TTs; however, with more than 100 of them currently for sale on cars.com, many of them have odometer readings at or near 100,000 miles.
JD Power gives the 2016 and 2017 model year TT each an 85/100 consumer rating, and the 2016 TT has a 4.9 out of five average review score from owners at cars.com, including a 4.9 for reliability.
TNarch from Nashville gave their 2016 TT five stars in every category and wrote, "I've owned seven Audis, so I guess that makes me an Audi guy. I wouldn't keep going back if they weren't dependable, a great ride, and fun to drive."
2016 Audi A3
One of Audi's smaller models is also known for years of dependable performance across several generational changes and model variations. The A3 was first produced in 1996 as a compact 3-door hatchback. Still, over a multi-generational evolution between then and now, it has transformed into various forms, including a five-door hatchback, a convertible, and a four-door sedan.
The 2016 A3 was available as a sedan or cabriolet, either of which came with two choices of turbocharged four-cylinder engines: a 1.8-liter that put out 170 horsepower or a 2.0-liter capable of 220 horsepower. Both versions of the A3 also came in three different trim levels, with the top-level Prestige package including a touch screen with voice control navigation and handwriting recognition systems along with a 14 speaker 705 watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.
The 2016 A3 has an 82/100 consumer rating from JD Power and an average of 4.7 out of five stars from owners at cars.com. A3 Guy from Nipomo gave theirs five stars in every category, writing, "We traded in a three series BMW and currently own a Porsche 911S and Lexus RX350, so we know a little about build quality ... the build quality is the best of any of our high-end cars. Zero problems after four years, no rattles [or] loose trim, and it drives and handles like the day we bought it – excellent."