20 Best Electric SUVs for 2023 – Ranked – TrueCar

The all-electric Audi e-tron quattro crossover hit the market as a 2020 model packed with Audi luxury and performance, offering a more conventional SUV-like design than rivals such as the Jaguar i-Pace and Tesla’s Model X and Model Y.

For 2023 it remains a great alternative to the smaller Jag and the larger Model X, both of which are considerably more expensive.

But the e-tron was dinged in 2020 for lack of range (just 204 miles, according to the EPA), and it hasn’t improved much. For 2023 the e-tron is rated at 222 miles, and the e-tron Sportback, whose curving roof gives it a coupe-like profile, is rated at 218 miles. That’s the least range in the class.

Newer competitors such as the Tesla Model Y Long Range not only travel farther on a full charge, they also use their electricity more efficiently. And if the Audi’s premium content isn’t a requirement, there are near-premium competitors such as the Kia EV6 GT-Line that are much cheaper and can go a lot farther.

Still, the e-tron and its Sportback sibling are attractive, posh, fun to drive, and can haul a good amount of stuff. Audi must be doing something right: US buyers have snapped up more than 25,000 e-tron crossovers so far.

The two e-tron crossover variants (there also are sportier and more powerful versions, the e-tron S and S Sportback, which we review separately) use the same underpinnings and powertrains. Each has two electric motors, one on each axle, to drive all four wheels, and uses an electronic version of Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system to manage traction and torque allotment. A 95 kilowatt-hour battery pack supplies the juice.

The system is rated at 355 horsepower, with up to 402 hp for short bursts as when passing, and 414 pound-feet of torque. While the nearly 3-ton e-trons aren’t the quickest electric crossovers in their class, they pack enough wallop to feel light and fairly nimble, and their standard air suspension makes for a serene ride. They also have an off-road setting for when the dirt beckons.

The e-tron’s 150-kilowatt fast-charge capability was tops when the model was introduced and still is faster than the i-Pace’s 100-kW system. But the industry is upping the stakes continually; the EV6, for instance, can charge from 10 to 80% in less than 20 minutes at the most powerful fast chargers (now at 350 kW).