The Q5 lineup is Audi’s compact and luxury SUVs, which came into production in 2008 and released its first model in 2009, where it has been releasing yearly models since.
The Audi Q5 is a great vehicle for families, featuring over two generations’ worth of cars. It offers a good amount of power and handling, which helps separate it from its competitors.
Since it has only been around since 2009, it has a fairly good amount of models, most of which I will list here.
Apart from listing the best and worst years for Audi Q5, I will explain why I have ranked them in the order I place them.
Best Years for Audi Q5:
- 2019
- 2017
- 2020
- 2021
- 2009
- 2010
Worst Years for Audi Q5:
- 2014
- 2012
- 2013
- 2011
- 2018
- 2015
I will also talk about the common problems in the series and common questions related to the lineup.
Table of Contents
List Of The Best Years For The Audi Q5: What Years To Buy
The best years of the Audi Q5 offer amazing quality vehicles with little to no problems and many great features.
#1 Best Year: 2019 Audi Q5
In 2019, Audi released yet another amazing lineup model, which started a sequence of great years for the series.
The 2019 Audi Q5 offers excellent cargo space, riding & handling quality, and is overall a very comfortable vehicle, so I decided to rank it in first place on this list.
Boasting great value and styling, the 2019 Audi Q5 is a great model that deserves to be first on this list.
This vehicle comes with power liftgates as standard and is available in 3 different trims, all offering great performance and visibility.
This five-seat luxury SUV also has a turbo four-cylinder, and AWD as standard, which helps sell the model’s base trim and only shows much better the other trims of the model must be.
#2 Best Year: 2017 Audi Q5
Coming on to the market with four trims and featuring a good acceleration, low cargo floor, high-quality cabin materials, and excellent towing capacity, the 2017 Audi Q5 is another powerful model in the lineup, which is why I placed it at 2nd place.
While it would get hybrid models, later on, the 2017 Audi Q5 did not launch with them as they were put on hold, which hurt sales.
However, the car itself, even the gas-only models, offered significant standard features and performance to its buyers, which is why I can easily recommend this model as well and give it such a high ranking on this list.
#3 Best Year: 2020 Audi Q5
While being held back by low-quality cabin materials and the requirement to use only premium fuel, the 2020 Audi Q5 offered the same level of ride quality, handling balance, comfort, and visibility as the 2019 model, which is why I placed it at a solid 3rd place.
This lineup model is available in 6 different trims and features many of the same features such as AWD and turbo 4-cylinder as standard, along with automatic emergency braking and media applications such as Android Auto & Apple Carplay.
It is yet another refined and excellent vehicle that you should consider buying when in the market for an SUV, especially when compared to its competitors.
#4 Best Year: 2021 Audi Q5
Moving on to the latest model is the 2021 Audi Q5 which is available in 3 different trims, offering comfortable seating for the family and a good amount of cargo space, all at a much lower price when compared to most of its competitors which land this car at 4th place on this list.
This model also features a new Sportback body style and a new touch screen media system which should also give it a lot more style and comfort, which makes it a much better sell than the other SUVs on the market as it trades some of the regular utility found in the Audi A5 series for a sportier look.
#5 Best Year: 2009 Audi Q5
Being the first model of the lineup, the 2009 Audi Q5 had a lot to do to get the series popular, and by boasting great crash-test ratings, excellent mileage, and superb acceleration, the 2009 model was able to impress the market and earn a spot as the 5th best model on this list.
While it was only available in 3 different trims, it was sharply styled and was a breath of fresh air among the various SUVs dominating the market for so long.
It put Audi’s Q5 series on the map and gave it the reputation it deserves by offering many great features and handling.
#6 Best Year: 2010 Audi Q5
Taking the last spot on this list as the 6th best year is the 2010 Audi Q5 due to its great mileage, acceleration, and high-quality materials used to make this cabin.
This model had to follow the success of the 2009 model and was able to do so relatively easily, being available in 4 different trims and overall being a very enjoyable car despite its various shortcomings as such being very expensive when compared to its competitors at the time and being a bit short on cargo room.
This, however, still did not hold the 2010 Audi Q5 back, which was able to perform successfully still and continue to grow the reputation of the lineup.
List Of The Worst Years For The Audi Q5: What Years To Avoid
Here are the worst years for the Audi Q5, which feature many problems and issues you want to avoid.
#1 Worst Year: 2014 Audi Q5
The 2014 Audi Q5 stands uncontested as the worst model on this list.
It deserves to take the top spot here due to having the most problems among the lineup and several other factors such as repair costs and problems occurring at lower mileages.
The biggest problem is the excessive oil consumption plaguing the lineup since 2010. This model suffered from 5 different recalls.
The coolant pump would overheat, causing fires and short circuits, the auxiliary heater’s electrical connector would melt, airbag rupture due to corrosion, and the fuel pump flange would crack leak.
The steering also had various issues along with the engine, which raised a lot of complaints from the NHTSA.
#2 Worst Year: 2012 Audi Q5
While the 2012 Audi Q5 may be just as if not worse than the 2014 model, it has less number of overall complaints, which is why I am placing it and 2nd place.
This model was the one that brought all the problems which affected the 2014 model, such as the excess oil consumption and the corrosion related to the airbags.
This model also suffered from 6 recalls, affecting more than 150,000 cars per recall.
These issues were mostly based on the cracked fuel pump flange and the airbags inflators being ruptured due to corrosion.
All of these issues dragged the model down in terms of quality.
#3 Worst Year: 2013 Audi Q5
Between the dreaded 2012 and 2014 models, the company released the 2013 Audi Q5, which made a lot of efforts to fix the problems of its previous version but fell short.
It was still, miraculously, better than the 2014 version, which is why I decided to give it 3rd place on this list.
This model still suffered from excess oil consumption but to some less extent.
The model also faced the same number of recalls as the 2014 model for the same reasons, which means that the issues likely originated from this model and were not fixed for subsequent ones.
The NHTSA complained about the steering of the car as well.
#4 Worst Year: 2011 Audi Q5
Once again suffering from 5 recalls and having various problems in the engine, transmission, and airbags, the 2011 Audi Q5 had much fewer complaints overall which is why I am placing it at 4th place on this list.
The excess oil consumption was still a problem, with the issue receiving a lot of highlighting from the NHTSA while transmission failure was also being complained about.
Airbag inflator rupturing was still common in this model, which was also affected by the recall. This recall alone affected more than 659,000 cars.
The braking system of the model was also suffering from some issues as premature brake wear was also quite common in the vehicle.
#5 Worst Year: 2018 Audi Q5
While the 2017 model of the series is held in quite a high regard, the 2018 Audi Q5 could not maintain the same level of popularity and instead became infamous for the new set of problems it was affected by.
Moreover, this model suffered from 6 recalls centered around the gateway control module reducing the engine’s power, the wheel’s arch cover trim detaching while driving, hydraulic brake failure, and airbag/seat belt pretensioners not deploying.
The model also suffered from a variety of small electrical problems. While the excess oil consumption had finally been culled, traces of the problem remained.
#6 Worst Year: 2015 Audi Q5
The 2015 Audi Q5 is an okay vehicle.
However, it suffered from many complaints from the NHTSA regarding the engine along with six different recalls, which earned it the last place on this list.
This model would be the last one where excessive oil consumption was a major problem, but unfortunately for its reputation, the model still had it as an issue.
The fuel pump flanges were still cracking and leaking, and the airbag corrosion issue was still not solved. The model itself had most of its problems from previous years, which is sad to see.
What Are The Most Common Problems With The Audi Q5?
The latest models of the Audi Q5 have shown to have little to no problems with the years 2019 onwards shaping up to be great models of the lineup.
However, seeing the amount of various and common problems of the Audi Q5 in certain models, it should be stated that the lineup has seen its fair share of issues.
I will be highlighting a few of those common problems below:
1. Excess Oil Consumption
This is a problem many different cars and models struggle with, so it is unsurprising to see in the Audi Q5.
Various customers have complained across multiple models, starting from the 2010 model and for around five years until the 2015 model.
Seeing as how the lineup was introduced in 2009, this means that around half of the entire series has been plagued with this problem which is disappointing to see, especially since it was widely complained about by customers who had to get their oil changed quite frequently as the car used a quart of oil every 800 to 1000 miles.
2. Daytime Running Lights Failure
This issue was quite common with Audi Q5 models, released in 2009 and 2010, and was a very common occurrence.
A fault caused this issue in the control unit of the LED, which prevented the lights from turning on and off.
The failure of this control unit caused the DRLs not to function properly, which is very annoying & problematic.
It also prevented the LEDs from doing their job and prevented people and other cars from properly seeing the vehicle. While you can drive without these lights, it is not recommended.
3. Cracking In Fuel Pump Flange
This is yet another common problem around the middle of the lineup, from the models that debuted in 2013 to 2017.
The issue was regarding the fuel pump flanges of these models, which would develop hairline cracks much faster than they should have, resulting in the fuel leaking out of the pump and onto the exhaust.
This is a very dangerous problem as the fuel, which is very flammable, gets onto the car’s hot exhaust and can easily catch fire.
Luckily Audi carried out a recall in which they fixed the issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What Is The Life Expectancy Of An Audi Q5?
Depending on how you take care of your Audi Q5, you can expect the car to last around 150,000 to 200,000 miles on average with regular maintenance and good treatment of the car, bumping up the total travel distance to much greater than 300,000 miles.
This means that the life of an average Audi Q5 is around 10 to 15 years, after which it may require repairs that are no longer sustainable.
Related: How Long Do Audi Q5 Last?
Q2. Is The Audi Q5 Expensive To Maintain?
When you buy an Audi, you buy it for the luxury and comfort it provides. However, this luxury does not come cheap as the company manufactures cars that are quite expensive to maintain.
The Audi Q5 alone has an average maintenance cost of $12,068 in its first ten years, which beats the industry average of similar cars and SUVs by $3,392.
There is a 36.25% chance of it requiring a major repair during this time, which may cost you even more.
Q3. Is The Audi Q5 Made In Germany?
Despite Audi itself being a German auto-making company, it has factories and assembly plants worldwide where it creates its cars.
The Audi Q5, specifically, is made in 3 distinct assembly lines; one in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, one in Changchun, China, and the final one located in Aurangabad, India.
While earlier models, specifically the first generation of the Q5, were assembled in Germany, the latest lineup is being made and assembled in these three sites.
Q4. What’s Better: An Audi Q5 Or A BMW X5?
The BMW X5 offers a much bigger car than the Audi Q5, thus offering more shoulder room and cargo space. However, surprisingly, the Audi Q5 has more legroom.
While both feature relatively the same safety features, the BMW X5 holds a lot more power and speed and easily beats the Audi Q5/ The Audi.
However, it slightly has a leg up in gas mileage and offers better MPA than the BMW. Overall, I’d say the BMW X5 is much better overall than the Audi Q5.
Q5. What Does The Audi Q5 Compare To?
If you are still not sold on the quality of the Audi Q5, you should try to see how it stacks up when compared to similar cars of its type.
Since the Audi Q5 is an SUV, it should be compared to other SUVs released close to the same year.
These cars can include the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the BMW X5, the Acura RDX and the Jaguar F-Pace, which are other notable SUVs and the prime competitors of the Audi Q5.
Conclusion
The German company Audi has been known to make high-quality luxury cars.
Its Q5 series is no different, offering a luxurious interior and driving experience all packed in an SUV that came with five passenger seats.
This series of the company had its ups and downs with the best and worst years for Audi Q5, having 2019 as the best year for the lineup and 2014 was the worst one.
Now that you know all of the specifics of the models and the common problems and questions surrounding the car, hopefully, you have a much better understanding of the lineup and will use this when considering purchasing an Audi Q5.
I am Tahir Azam, and I have been writing amazing articles for TaxiHack for as long as I can remember. I know everything that is to know when it comes to automobiles and is always on top of industry news and developments. While I am not an expert by any means, I pride myself on knowing the ins and outs of many different problems and, of course, their solutions. The articles on our website are some of the best and well-researched content that you will find, and I spend countless hours making sure this remains to be true. This is why I ask you to take your time out and read some of my articles, especially if you find a topic that resonates with you or is something you are looking into. This way, you will find the perfect mix of information and tips on your desired topic. Learn more about Tahir.
