Item: Used Audi R8 2015-present
Rating: 5
Author: What Car? Team

Just because you want to drive a fast car doesn’t mean you have to compromise your green credentials. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/honda/nsx/coupe/review/n17248">Honda NSX</a> has a 3.5-litre petrol V6 and three electric motors to produce a combined figure of 574bhp and cracks 0-60mph in just 2.8sec. It doesn’t have the same aural drama or as nice an interior, though.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/911/coupe/used-review/n18062">Porsche 911</a> may be a predictable choice, but that's because it makes perfect sense if you’re after a practical sports car and more playful handling than offered by the four-wheel-drive R8.

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If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/audi/r8?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">used R8</a>, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

<h3 dir="ltr">Oil leak</h3>

Some R8s built between 1 October 2015 and 30 November 2017 could leak oil from the gearbox if driven hard on a track. This may result in just a little bit of smoke coming from the engine area as the oil burns off, but an engine fire can't be ruled out if enough oil leaks out. Speak with an Audi dealer if you think your car might be affected by this&nbsp;to find out whether&nbsp;it still needs remedial work to be carried out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The R8 didn't feature in our most recent reliability survey, but the TT finished in a respectable sixth place out of 10 cars in the coupes and sports car class. Audi as a brand didn’t do particularly well in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, ranking a lowly 22nd&nbsp;out of 31 car manufacturers.

If you'd like to see the full reliability list, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2018-what-car-reliability-survey/n17798">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.&nbsp;

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Coupe

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

If you're after an accomplished and thrilling supercar&nbsp;a used Audi R8 could be&nbsp;just the ticket

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Used Audi R8 2015 - present

You’ll probably need a property portfolio or generous trust fund to have the wherewithal to run an Audi R8. Even if the combined fuel consumption of 21.6mpgaccording to the WLTP tests and 272g/km of CO2&nbsp;emissions for the standard car or 21.4mpg and 287g/km for the Plus doesn't frighten you, the huge cost of insurance and maintenance probably will.

Any R8 registered before 1 April 2017 will have to pay road tax under the older system that’s based on CO2 emissions, while later cars will have to pay the flat rate fee along with the additional surcharge for cars that cost more than £40,000 when new. That currently stands at £155&nbsp;a year for the standard VED and an extra £335 a year for the luxury car tax. Find out more about the current<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153"> road tax costs here</a>.

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Used Audi R8 2015-present

If you're after an accomplished and thrilling supercar a used Audi R8 could be just the ticket

Prices for early R8s start at around £73,000 to £75,000 for a 2016 or 2017 car, which is a massive come-down from the £120,000 they cost when they were new back in late 2015. Prices creep up to around £80,000 for a 2017&nbsp;car and between £80,000 and £90,000 or more for a 2018&nbsp;example.&nbsp;R8s from 2019 and 2020&nbsp;with the majority of the manufacturer’s warranty left are more than £100,000.

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Which version of the R8 you should buy really depends on what you plan to do with your car. If you’re wanting to take it on a track day, perhaps the Plus might be the way to go, since it comes with carbon ceramic brakes as standard that will stand up to frequent heavy braking better than the standard items. Plus, the extra power might come in handy on the straights.

However, the regular R8 is no slouch and still has 99% of the ability for less money. Look out for any example with the Driver Assistance package, because that gets you a rear-view camera and cruise control. A sports exhaust is also a worthy extra, since it makes that glorious V10 sound even better.

Our favourite Audi R8: 5.2 V10

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

The Mazda MX-5 embodies sports-car spirit without wearing an exotic price tag, and has deservedly gained a strong following over the years. Much newer to the scene is the mid-engined Alpine A110. It may carry a name from the past, but this potent, mid-engined sports car was designed with the very latest lightweight thinking.&nbsp;

Rounding off our shortlist, though, is a name that'll be familiar to even those to whom sports cars hold little interest. The Porsche 911 was born an icon in 1964, and the latest generation bridges the gap between sports car and supercar. Yet, somehow, it manages to preserve a distinctly civilised character.

Sports

Sports cars like the Audi R8 often use high-end materials and technology in the pursuit of creating the ultimate car, but it’ll all still wear out like any other vehicle, and replacement&nbsp;parts are very expensive indeed. So, when you have your heart set on a car, consider getting it professionally inspected to identify any potentially expensive repair work.&nbsp;

There are a few checks you can do yourself, though.&nbsp;Take a look at the tyres to not only see&nbsp;how much tread they have left&nbsp;but also whether there's a lot of wear on the edges,&nbsp;because that could mean that the suspension alignment is off.&nbsp;

Make sure there isn’t a lip on the brake discs, either, because this will mean you’ll need new brake discs and quite possibly pads, too, which will cost thousands, rather than the hundreds it will&nbsp;on the likes of an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a3/hatchback/used-review/n17405">Audi A3</a>.&nbsp;

Cool young things with their AirPods in might like to belittle the Audi R8 as just an inflated <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/tt/coupe/used-review/n814">Audi TT</a>, but they’ve probably never sat in one, let alone driven such a car. They’ve most likely only seen it in movies, where its fantastic V10 soundtrack won’t fail to steal the scene.&nbsp;But the great thing is that you don’t need a Hollywood budget to buy one these days.

Unlike the original&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/r8/coupe/used-review/n816">Audi R8</a> that offered both V8 and V10 power, this&nbsp;model uses only a&nbsp;5.2-litre V10, but with two different power outputs: 532bhp or 602bhp in the Plus model. Facelifted cars from 2019 onwards had the wick turned up to 562bhp&nbsp;or 611bhp for the renamed Performance version. You can even choose between quattro four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive only, with the RWD model packing 533bhp.

It’s no surprise, then, to find that the R8 is a very fast car. We tested a Plus model in the dry and found that it could sprint from 0-62mph in 2.3sec, while a standard R8 in the wet hit the same target in 3.2sec. Even more impressive, if you happen to be on a race track, is the fact that it can&nbsp;accelerate from 0-100mph in 6.6sec. That’s crazy quick. The only slight disappointment is that the automatic gearbox can be a little jerky during low-speed manoeuvres. Later facelifted cars aren’t any better, although the Performance has the smoothest of the two setups.&nbsp;

Once you’ve quickly despatched the straights, you’ll be glad to know that the R8 corners brilliantly, with graceful fluidity and virtually flat body control. You might fear that this will make it very uncomfortable, but it doesn’t. With standard passive suspension, the R8 is compliant on rough roads, while adaptive dampers allow for a very forgiving ride for any car, let alone a sports car. You won’t even need the&nbsp;arms of a championship boxer to steer the R8, since its helm is really quite light. It gives&nbsp;plenty of feedback at&nbsp;moderate speeds, too.

Practicality isn’t even a major issue, because there’s a decent amount of space up front for a couple of weekend bags plus&nbsp;a shelf behind the rear seats if you need a bit of extra storage. You’ll also find a number of thoughtful hiding spots dotted around the interior, and there’s space for two coffee cups&nbsp;–&nbsp;if for some reason the sound of the baritone V10 isn't enough to keep you awake.

All R8s get electrically adjustable, heated leather seats, sat-nav, a DAB radio, climate control and LED headlights. However,&nbsp;even though this car cost as much as a terraced house in the north of England when new, cruise control and a rear-view camera were both optional extras.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/audi/r8?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">used R8</a>, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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Used Audi R8 2015-present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Audi R8 coupe?