The Audi A8 is a large saloon, sitting above the smaller A6, A4 and A3 saloon models in the Audi range. The current model is the fifth generation Audi flagship saloon, and the fourth to carry the A8 name.
The latest Audi A8 arrived in the UK in early 2018, initially with a choice of petrol or diesel engines and more recently with a plug-in hybrid option. There also is a high-performance model called the S8, which joined the range several months after the lower-level models were launched.
The A8 has received almost unanimously positive reviews from the UK media, with many titles placing it equal to or even above the traditional class leader, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. However, there is an all-new S-Class hitting UK streets in early 2021, so the Audi’s ascendancy may be short-lived.
The Audi A8 has been praised for its overall comfort and technology, even compared to the lofty standards of the luxury saloon market, as well as its driving dynamics. However, several reports have suggested that it’s not as comfortable in the back seats – which is where many owners will likely be sitting – as the Mercedes.
Key specifications
Body style: Large saloon
Engines: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid
Price: From £73,330 on-road
Launched: Autumn 2017
Last updated: Spring 2020
Replacement due: TBA
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MEDIA REVIEWS
Reviews, road tests and comparisons from across the UK automotive media

Auto Express
Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic S8
Score: 8 / 10
“If you want a fast flagship limo, then the Audi S8 ticks the right boxes. The S8 isn’t a car you buy with an eye on the budget, and while the V8 suits it, the car is still flawed in some small ways.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Audi A8 features impressive tech and a luxurious interior, but can’t match the Mercedes S-Class for comfort.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid automatic A8L 60
Score: 7 / 10
“The Audi A8 60 TFSIe quattro is probably the most convincing model in the limo’s line-up – particularly when you consider that cars like these tend to spend most of their time waiting, crawling around city centres or queuing at airports.”
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Auto Trader
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“Even alongside other luxury saloons, the Audi A8 looks like a very impressive machine. It’s lavish and spacious, luxurious to ride in and good to drive. Yes, plenty of the ground-breaking technology on show costs you extra, but even without it, the A8 is a fine luxury limousine.”
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Autocar
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“Looking beyond the increasingly macho exterior designs and recent heavy marketing emphasis on quattro all-wheel drive, Audi’s core appeal has traditionally been the way it quietly innovates, and in this respect the fourth-generation Audi A8 feels something of a return to form.”
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Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic S8
Score: 9 / 10
“By offering a super-smooth executive cruiser than can turn into a super-saloon at the press of a pedal, the Audi S8 nails an extremely broad brief with aplomb.”
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Business Car
Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid 60 TFSIe L Sport
Score: 7 / 10
“The hybrid powertrain offers a really smooth transition between electric and petrol propulsion too and the car is amazingly rapid when the driver requests it. It can stay in EV mode up to 84mph and has a luxurious ride quality, adaptable via various driving modes.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI L
Score: 9 / 10
“Technologically brilliant, comfortable and pretty faultless to drive, the new Audi A8 is a triumph, a masterclass in interior luxury and refinement. It’s one of the few cars we’d actually prefer to be a passenger in, so we can fully appreciate the full breath of its talents.”
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Car
Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic S8
Score: 10 / 10
“There’s no getting away from the Audi S8’s super-serious outlook on life but it’s supremely well-built, sports car fast, sounds fantastic and handles like a much smaller car due to a suspension system that crushes the laws of physics.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid 60 TFSIe
Score: 8 / 10
“The Mercedes S-Class is more opulent in the rear and BMW 7 Series more fun to drive, but the subtly styled Ingolstadt car is the sharpest looking and most technologically impressive. Silent, seamlessly powerful and emissions-free in town – this plug-in version of the Audi A8 is the only one you need.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“We love the tech on offer, and thanks to some very clever thinking in and around its interior, it all seems to work pretty seamlessly. To drive, it’s a triumph. Simply put, the Audi A8 is a great car. And one that’s at or very near the top of the luxury state of the art.”
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Car Keys
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The new Audi A8 has shifted the luxury limousine game onto new levels. The technology it showcases is breath-taking both inside and outside with its game-changing suspension, steering and safety systems. Whether you’re in the front or rear, you will be very happy either way.”
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Carbuyer
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.6 / 10
“The latest Audi A8 is the smoothest, most technologically switched-on version yet.”
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Carwow
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Audi A8 is a comfortable luxury limo with powerful engines and a classy, spacious interior. That said, its touchscreen infotainment system is a pain to use when driving.”
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Company Car Today
Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI LWB
Score: 8.1 / 10
“Many, many strengths, but it’s a shame the new Audi A8 isn’t a bit more efficient or a bit more visually different from its predecessor. Still, there’s quality in abundance.”
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Daily Mail
Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI L
Score: 8 / 10
“If this car were a superhero, it would be Batman, as like the Caped Crusader it really comes alive at night. The daytime grey is a servile blank canvas waiting for the sun to set and the light show to begin. Whereupon the true class of Audi’s minimalist design begins to shine.” (Chris Evans)
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Eurekar
Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic 55 TFSI S line
“There aren’t many motors in which a rear seat passenger – and that, of course, is where the CEO usually sits – can write a letter in the traditional way with a fountain pen and paper. Such is the magic carpet ride of the Audi A8, however, that this exercise is accomplished with consummate ease.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic 55 TFSI L
“The Audi A8 L is a smart, comfortable and effortless drive, with a strong V6 heart and embracing suspension. The interior is exquisite, with some truly futuristic feeling tech. The modern touch-screens with feedback make for a truly Star Wars feeling ride.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI
“I hadn’t covered more than a handful in the new Audi A8 before I began to understand why this car is the holder of the World Luxury Car of the Year 2018 title. It’s a car that eats up the miles in terms of comfort, quietness and performance and really does spoil you.”
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Evo
Model reviewed: S8
Score: 7 / 10
“Impressively agile and always effortless, the tech-packed S8 is still more limo than sports saloon.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“High-tech and slick inside and out, the Audi A8 is an impressive luxury car – if not quite as compelling as an S-Class.”
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Fleetworld
Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic
“Audi has once more raised the bar for cabin design and quality. The experience is serene and comfortable thanks to the adaptive air suspension. On-road refinement is impressive; it offers little in the way of driving appeal, but if it’s a relaxing drive that you’re after, the Audi A8 delivers in spades.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid 60 TFSIe L
Score: 8 / 10
“Plug-in power shows a more efficient side to Audi’s flagship.”
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Honest John
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Audi A8 is a luxurious saloon, sophisticated and packed with tech, that wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond movie while its autonomous driving capability and remote parking features provide a fascinating insight into what Audi has planned for its next-generation of everyday cars.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI
“Despite a few chinks in its armour, as a total package the Audi A8 has astonishingly wide breadth, able to delight both driver and passengers alike.”
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Parkers
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9.6 / 10
“Brilliant, tech-laden luxury car.”
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The Sunday Times
Model reviewed: S8
Score: 8 / 10
“Ride comfort is exceptional, with the “predictive active suspension” able to shrug off bumps in the road thanks to a forward-facing camera that can detect imperfections and adjust the set-up accordingly.”
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Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI
Score: 8 / 10
“A 7-series-beater for those excited by APR” (Jeremy Clarkson)
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The Telegraph
Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic
Score: 8 / 10
“The Audi A8 is an imposing and super-long saloon that acts as a technology standard-bearer. But at its heart, this is a really posh limo and while it handles well and rides beautifully, the rear seats (where most will experience the A8) are lacking.”
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Top Gear
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“A8 sits at the top of the many-branched Audi tree. Has all the tech your A4 probably will in five years’ time.”
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Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic S8
Score: 7 / 10
“The most boring 560bhp car (in a good way)”
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What Car?
Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 10 / 10
“The A8’s blend of performance, comfort and serenity are wedded to a beautifully built, practical and well-equipped interior. In fact, by a whisker, it beats the Mercedes S-Class, which shows just how good to drive and be driven the Audi A8 is.”
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Which?
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6.9 / 10
“The Audi A8 justifies its top-tier pricing with a fantastic passenger experience and the very best in workmanship and engineering. With this generation of its range-topping luxury saloon, Audi has produced a car that can stand its ground against the traditional class-leader, the Mercedes S-Class.”
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Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
No safety rating
The Audi A8 was not crash tested by Euro NCAP when it was launched in 2018 and we are not expecting it to happen during the rest of its model life. If it does, we will update this section accordingly.
Eco rating
Independent emissions and efficiency ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
The Audi A8 has not yet been lab tested by Green NCAP. This is a new initiative, launched in 2018 as a sister organisation to Euro NCAP. As yet, very few new cars have been tested for environmental impact by Green NCAP, and inevitably the testing programme was halted in early 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic. Testing resumed in late 2020 and if the Audi A8 is tested then we’ll publish the results here.
Security rating
Independent vehicle theft and security ratings from Thatcham Research
No security rating
The Audi A8 has not been tested for anti-theft protection by Thatcham Research. This is a new initiative that was launched in 2019 to assess, in particular, the security of new cars with keyless entry and keyless start systems. If the A8 is tested, we will update this page.
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the Audi A8 has received
2021
- What Car? Awards – Best Luxury Car for Performance (S8)
2019
- What Car? Awards – Best Luxury Car over £60K
- Company Car Today CCT100 Awards – Best Luxury Car
2018
- World Car of the Year Awards – World Luxury Car
- What Car? Awards – Best Luxury Car, £50K – £100K
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Image gallery
Audi S8