Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
The Audi A5 Cabriolet costs a bit more than the equivalent A5 Coupé, but pricing is competitive with direct rivals. Resale values are on a par with the Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet, but can’t quite match those of the BMW 4 Series Convertible.
If you're looking to run an A5 Cabriolet as a company car, CO2 emissions will be just as important. The news here is slightly disappointing because the least polluting engine – the 40 TDI diesel – comes with four-wheel drive, which hurts efficiency. It emits 152g/km, placing it in a higher benefit-in-kind (BIK) company car tax bracket than the cleanest 4 Series and C-Class.
Audi as a brand didn’t perform particularly well in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing in 18th place out of 30 manufacturers. That’s still a better showing than Mercedes could manage in 22nd, but behind BMW in 13th place.
There isn’t a Euro NCAP safety rating for the A5 Cabriolet at the time of writing. You get automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard, but it does without lane-keep assistance, which the 4 Series has as standard. You’ll need the range-topping Vorsprung to get that, along with traffic sign recognition and blind-spot monitoring.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
