Used Audi A4 Saloon 2015-2024 review

When it comes to soothing your furrowed brow on the way home from a hard day in the office, the Audi A4 certainly deserves its executive stripes. We named it our Car of the Year in 2016, and it still leads its class as a used buy when it comes to comfort, refinement and quality. In short, it's one of the best executive saloons you can buy second-hand.

Engines and performance: There’s always been an extensive line-up of engines to choose from, too, with 1.4-litre and 2.0-litre petrols along with punchy 2.0-litre TDI and 3.0-litre TDI diesels. All the engines, bar the 1.4, are available in two states of tune, depending on whether performance or economy is most important. Those on a budget will love the 2.0 TDI Ultra, not only for the way it sips fuel but also for its eco-credentials - it emits less than 100g/km of CO2.

The different engine choices from 2019 onwards became known by numbers, so the petrols became the 148bhp 35 TFSI, the 187bhp 40 TFSI and the 242bhp 45 TFSI, while diesels became the 134bhp 30 TDI, the 161bhp 35 TDI and the 187bhp 40 TDI.

Ride and handling: Where the A4 is in its element is on the motorway; it’s not as exciting to drive as the more agile BMW 3 Series, plus the A4 lacks any form of steering feel. Ride quality is also rather poor in the larger-wheeled S line and Ultra models, which also have lowered and stiffened suspension, although you can resolve this if you can find an example equipped with the optional adaptive dampers. If you can’t, stick with an SE or Sport on smaller wheels and the A4 is a very agreeable companion with low levels of road and wind noise.

Interior and practicality: You won’t have too many issues getting comfortable in the Audi A4. There are generous seat and steering wheel adjustments, but the pedals are offset to the right and there's a space-sapping bulge in the footwell by your left leg. The 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class are not much better for footwell room, though.

The A4’s minimalist dashboard is simple and easy to use, with big buttons and knobs for operating the main functions, including the climate controls. For the infotainment, every A4 gets Audi’s impressive MMI system with a 10.1in touchscreen. The graphics are sharp, the screen is responsive and the menus are decipherable after a bit of getting used to. On pre-facelift cars, you get a physical rotary control dial, which makes it easier to use on the move than the pure touchscreen-based system in the facelift.

As for quality, the interior is beautifully crafted from high-class materials. Harder plastics are few and far between and nearly everything else has a plush, soft-touch finish. Silver or gloss black (depending on the trim level) garnishes the dashboard and centre console, and combines with well-damped switches for an upmarket ambience.

The overall level of fit and finish is a grade or two above plenty of other cars in this class, with only the 3 Series coming close. It's one of the main areas that differentiate the A4 from non-premium rivals, such as the Superb.

Up front, you’ll find plenty of head, leg and elbow room, so you're unlikely to feel cramped unless you’re remarkably tall. Only very big executive cars such as the Superb feel decidedly larger. In the back, there’s enough room to accommodate a couple of six-footers reasonably well, but it falls short on rear space compared with the VW Arteon and the giant Superb. If your focus is on the premium marques, it doesn’t have quite as much rear-seat room as the 3 Series, either.

The A4’s boot is almost identical in size to the 3 Series' and is a fairly practical shape. You’ll be able to fit a couple of sets of golf clubs in easily, and we squeezed in seven carry-on suitcases without having to drop the rear seats, matching the 3 Series. There's an estate version – the Audi A4 Avant – if luggage capacity is your key priority, while the Superb is the best bet for boot space if you can live without the premium badge (the hatchback Superb takes 10 carry-on suitcases).

Usefully, the A4 comes with split-folding rear seats as standard, but, unlike many of those cars, its rear seats are divided into convenient 40/20/40 sections, as opposed to the more common 60/40 arrangement. It means you can fold the middle backrest to load long items while still carrying two passengers easily.

Trims and equipment: There are four core trim levels to choose from. Entry-level SE comes with xenon headlights, 17in alloy wheels, cruise control, parking sensors, autonomous emergency braking, tri-zone climate control, and a 7.0in infotainment system complete with smartphone integration and a DAB radio.

Upgrade to Sport and you'll find more supportive front sports seats, sat-nav and an upgraded 10-speaker audio system, while S line models get a bodykit, sports suspension, 18in alloy wheels, LED head and rear lights and a leather and Alcantara upholstery. Topping the range is the Black Edition trim, which adorns the A4 with 19in alloy wheels, tinted rear windows and lots of gloss black interior and exterior trim. SE was renamed Technik in post-facelift models, while Sport, S line and Black Edition remain. Range-topping Vorsprung also joined the range, and as per other Audi models, it gets nearly every option thrown at it.

If you go for an S4 you'll get all the standard equipment found on an S line A4, plus an Audi Sport-designed bodykit, suspension, braking system and alloy wheels, front super sports seats with massaging function, Nappa leather upholstery and an upgraded Audi MMI infotainment system with a touch control panel and an 8.3in display.

Facelift: The A4 was treated to a facelift in 2019. At the front, the 'singleframe' grille was updated to bring it in line with other Audi models. Revised LED headlights (with a unique light signature) were also made standard across the range.

"I think the peak of Audi interior quality was in 2015 when the A4 was launched. Since then, it's gone down hill a bit. To me, the A4's successor, the Audi A5, doesn't feel as plush or luxurious inside." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

If you're interested in buying a used Audi A4, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classified site here.

You can buy an A4 of this generation for around £6000, but it'll be a high mileage affair, so we'd suggest you budget around £9000 for a good 2015 or 2016 car with an average mileage for the year.

Up the ante to £11,000 and you'll find a good choice of 2018 and 2019 cars with an average mileage for the year and a full service history, while £15,000 brings you a choice of 2019 and 2020 facelift cars. With a budget of £17,000, you'll be able to find a 2022 or 2023 model, while £21,000 gets you a 2024 car. Top-spec cars from 2022 onwards cost around the same, usually with very low miles.

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MPG

The A4 has impressive on-paper economy figures, but it can’t live up to these in normal driving. Under those circumstances, the 1.4 TFSI will achieve nigh on 40mpg, according to the older NEDC tests, while the lower-powered 2.0 (badged 190) returns 37mpg. The 2.0 TFSI 250 is thirstier, recording 30mpg on average. The last of the petrols, the S4, will struggle to break 25mpg, but the trade-off is that it is agreeably powerful.

The diesel engines fare better, with the 148bhp 2.0 TDI averaging 50mpg under the NEDC tests, while the 187bhp version will return an mpg of mid-40s. The lesser of the 3.0 TDI engines will approach the 45mpg mark but the most powerful diesel, the 264bhp 3.0 TDI with an automatic gearbox and quattro four-wheel drive, will average 30mpg.

Under the later WLTP tests, the 35 TFSI petrol claims an official 42.2mpg, the 40 TFSI 42.2mpg, the 45 TFSI with quattro four-wheel drive 36.7mpg, the 30 TDI 55.4mpg, the 35 TDI 54.3mpg and the 40 TDI 45.6mpg.

CO2 emissions

The 1.4 has the lowest CO2 emissions at 131g/km rather than 136g/km of the 2.0, although both are still in the same VED band prior to the 2017 changes. An S4 will set you back quite a lot each year because it emits 166g/km.

Go for the 2.0 diesel in Ultra form for free road tax, but even the 2.0 190 has a low-CO2 output of 102g/km. The lower-power 3.0 diesel has a very credible 115g/km while the higher-output version goes up to 137g/km.

Road tax

For cars registered after the changes of April 2017 came into force (and before the further changes of April 2022), there will be a flat rate fee to pay, currently £195 per year. On top of this, there's a supplementary luxury car tax to pay on all cars that cost more than £40,000 new – a threshold that some A4s cross. This is currently £425 per year.

For cars registered before the changes in 2017, VED is calculated by CO2 emissions. This will change depending on the engine, so it's worth checking the level of tax before you buy. Typically, the diesels cost less to tax than equivalent petrols, because they emit less CO2.

Servicing

As for servicing, though not cheap, should be less costly than the equivalent from Mercedes. Better yet, you can spread the cost of two consecutive services, although it does vary depending upon how old the A4 is, and what size of engine it has. Once your A4 is over three years old, it'll qualify for Audi’s fixed-price servicing plan that currently stands at £190 for an interim and £360 for a major service on engines up to 2.0-litres in capacity, or £220 and £414 for anything larger.

Make sure that if you're buying an A4 equipped with an S Tronic automatic gearbox that the fluid has been changed at the recommended 38,000 mile limit, otherwise you could be looking at an expensive gearbox replacement in the future.

Reliability

According to real-world owner reviews analysed in our annual What Car? Reliability Survey, the 2015-2024 Audi A4 offers a mixed experience. While many cars run smoothly, owners reported issues like high oil consumption in 2.0-litre petrol engines, water pump leaks and electrical faults involving the ABS system. The S tronic automatic gearbox can also show occasional hesitations. While Audi dealers are praised for their professional service, repair costs remain premium, making it vital to monitor oil and coolant levels.

Want to find out more? Visit our dedicated used Audi A4 reliability page for a more detailed overview.

Engines

We’d go for the 160bhp 35 TDI diesel, which is our pick of the entire A4 range. It has plenty of low-down punch so you can tootle around town effortlessly, with enough pace to whisk you up to motorway speeds effectively (0-62mph takes 8.2sec).

Trims

Our preferred trim – entry-level Technik – is pretty well-equipped. You get 17in alloy wheels, power-folding door mirrors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated front seats, front and rear climate control, cruise control, keyless start, parking aids, LED headlights and infotainment features.

Our favourite Audi A4: 2.0 35 TDI Technik

The BMW 3 Series has been a class leader for years, especially among those looking for a rewarding car to drive. The current 3 Series keeps that tradition alive and is a more entertaining car than the A4. Just be aware that M Sport models have a hard ride unless adaptive dampers are fitted.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is less entertaining to drive than the BMW 3 Series (in fact, it’s on a par with the A4) but has an excellent interior and is supremely comfortable. It’s only really the sometimes tiresome tyre noise that lets it down.

The Jaguar XE might be a new rival to the Germans but, like the BMW, it offers a more rewarding driving experience than the A4. The diesel models are economical but the petrol ones are less efficient than Audi’s offerings. And while the XE is well equipped, it is less practical and has a smaller boot than its rivals.

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If you're interested in buying a used Audi A4, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classified site here.