With its 800-volt technology, 95-kWh battery, over 1,000 Newton metres of torque and 2.9-second sprint, the new Audi e-tron GT Performance is the sporty top model among Audi's electric cars. Over the next few days, we will be testing the car, which costs around €160,000. In preparation, we will compare it with its rivals in order to better assess the car.
The Audi e-tron GT's most important competitors in the top version include sporty five-metre saloons such as the Tesla Model S Plaid, the Lucid Air Grand Touring (not offered in UK) and its sister model, the Porsche Taycan Turbo. Models such as the Mercedes EQE/EQS or the BMW i7, on the other hand, cannot keep up, even in the sports versions.
Here is our comparison table, with the better values in bold. The data from Tesla and Lucid are fragmentary; we have supplemented them with the estimates from EV-Database, which we have indicated with "approx.".
| Audi RS e-tron GT Performance | Porsche Taycan Turbo | Tesla Model S Plaid | Lucid Air Grand Touring | |
| Powertrain | AWD 680-925 PS | AWD 707-884 PS | AWD 1,020 PS | AWD 831 PS |
| 0-62 mph | 2.9 sec. | 2.7 sec. | approx. 2.3 sec. | 3.2 sec. |
| Top speed | 155 mph | 162 mph | 174-200 mph | 168 mph |
| Standard consumption | 18.7-20.8 kWh | 18.0-20.5 kWh | 18.7 kWh | n.a. |
| Net battery | 97 kWh | 97 kWh | approx. 95 kWh | approx. 112 kWh |
| Standard range | 331-368 miles | 346-391 miles | 373-432 miles | 487-521 miles |
| Charging power | up to 11/320 kW | up to 11/320 kW | up to 11/250 kW | up to 22/300 kW |
| DC charging time 10-80% | 18 min | 18 min | approx. 30 min | approx. 27 min |
| DC charging speed | 3.8 kWh/min | 3.8 kWh/min | approx. 2.2 kWh/min | approx. 2.9 kWh/min |
| Length / height | 5.00 / 1.37 m | 4.96 / 1.38 m | 5.02 / 1.43 m | 4.98 / 1.42 m |
| Luggage compartment | 490 litres (v+h) | 491 litres (v+h) | 793 litres | 910 litres |
| Price | €160,500 | €175,600 | €107,990 | €129,000 |
As you can see, the Audi and the Porsche are very close to each other; no wonder, as both use the same technology (the J1 platform) and the difference lies mainly in the set-up. The Porsche has slightly better driving performance, but surprisingly still has lower fuel consumption and therefore more range. All in all, the Porsche is slightly better, but also €15,000 more expensive than our Audi.
Both models are very fast when charging with direct current due to the 800-volt architecture. The Lucid could keep up with its 900-volt system, but the manufacturer does not provide any information on charging times. We calculated the value of 2.9 kWh/min from the unofficial data from EV-Database; according to this, the car charges significantly slower. The Tesla with its 400-volt system can keep up even less; here, too, we had to use unofficial values.
The Tesla is ahead in terms of driving performance - even if the official data needs to be explained. For example, the sprint time of 2.1 seconds refers to a flying start (rolling start, not from 0 mph), so we have again used an estimate. And the 200 mph top speed is only achieved with the Track Pack, otherwise it is 174 mph.
In terms of range, the Tesla is superior to both cars from the VW Group, with the Lucid even managing up to 124 miles more than the Porsche and almost 155 miles more than the Audi. Audi and Porsche can't keep up in terms of storage capacity either. Finally, the prices are also higher.
More about the Audi e-tron GT Facelift and the Taycan Facelift:
The bottom line
Compared to the Porsche, the Audi is slightly inferior, but it is also slightly cheaper. The Tesla's driving performance is better, its range is greater and the boot is smaller than the Audi's - and yet the price is significantly lower. The Lucid virtually outclasses the Audi with its enormous range: almost 155 miles more is quite something.
Overall, the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance is only convincing when it comes to fast charging; here it and its sister model, the Porsche Taycan Turbo, are clearly better than the competition - even compared to the Lucid Air with its 900-volt architecture.