Twenty-six years after the original A2 bowed out, Audi has revived the nameplate for an all-electric compact built to be the most efficient production car the brand has ever made. Officially unveiled on September 7, 2026, the A2 e-tron is a one-box hatchback riding on Volkswagen Group's MEB+ platform, built at Audi's home plant in Ingolstadt. Rather than chasing outright range through brute battery size, Audi leaned on aerodynamics and packaging efficiency, and the result is a car that Audi says needs just 12.8 kWh to travel 100 km on the WLTP cycle. Four power outputs are offered, from a 125 kW entry version to a 240 kW all-wheel-drive flagship, with pricing in Germany running from €38,200 (about $44,300) to €51,200 (about $59,400). Orders open September 10, 2026, with first deliveries reaching Audi partners in December.
Performance & Specs
The A2 e-tron comes in four distinct power levels split across two drive architectures. The 125 kW, 140 kW and 170 kW versions all use Audi's APP350 single-motor rear-wheel-drive setup, producing 168 hp, 188 hp and 228 hp respectively, all sharing the same 350 Nm torque figure and topping out at 160 km/h. The range-topping 240 kW (322 hp) version switches to the dual-motor APP550 all-wheel-drive system, nearly doubling torque to 545 Nm, lifting top speed to 200 km/h, and cutting the 0-100 km/h sprint to 5.7 seconds — genuinely quick for a car built around efficiency rather than outright performance. The entry 125 kW car takes 8.8 seconds over the same sprint, with the 140 kW and 170 kW versions landing at 7.9 and 7.0 seconds. Audi credits a 0.24 drag coefficient, an active cooling grille, and a closed underbody for much of the efficiency gain, on top of the lighter overall packaging the MEB+ platform allows.
| Powertrain | Single rear motor BEV (APP350) |
|---|---|
| Power | 170 kW (228 hp) |
| Torque | 350 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 7.0 s |
| Battery | 84 kWh (79 kWh usable), NMC |
| Range | Up to 646 km (WLTP) |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | BEV, single-motor RWD or dual-motor AWD |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 168 hp to 322 hp across four power levels |
| ACCELERATION | 8.8 s (125 kW) to 5.7 s (240 kW), 0-100 km/h |
| TOP SPEED | 160 km/h (125/140/170 kW) or 200 km/h (240 kW) |
| DRIVETRAIN | RWD (125/140/170 kW) or AWD (240 kW) |
| BATTERY | 52, 61 or 84 kWh, depending on trim |
| WLTP RANGE | 423 km to 646 km depending on trim |
| EFFICIENCY | 12.8–14.2 kWh/100 km (WLTP) |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 4,321 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,791 mm |
| Height | 1,549 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,770 mm |
The original A2's whole pitch was maximizing interior space from a small footprint, and the e-tron follows the same brief with a short nose, a heavily raked windscreen, and a tall, tapered "Kammback" roofline that opens into a two-part rear window. At 4,321 mm long on a 2,770 mm wheelbase, it sits between a conventional supermini and a compact MPV in proportions. The boot holds 396 litres with the rear seats up, expanding to 1,336 litres with them folded flat, and the 170 kW and 240 kW versions add a 13-litre front trunk on top of that. A 1.6 m² panoramic glass roof is fitted, and Audi says the cabin uses over 300 recycled-material components across its softwrap fabric-covered surfaces and door trim.
| LENGTH | 4,321 mm |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,791 mm |
| HEIGHT | 1,549 mm |
| WHEELBASE | 2,770 mm |
| CARGO VOLUME | 396 L (seats up) / 1,336 L (seats folded) |
| FRUNK | 13 L (170 kW and 240 kW models) |
Charging & Battery
Audi offers three battery sizes across the four power levels: a 52 kWh (50 kWh usable) LFP pack on the entry 125 kW car, a 61 kWh (58 kWh usable) LFP pack on the 140 kW version, and an 84 kWh (79 kWh usable) NMC pack shared by both the 170 kW and 240 kW versions. Charging speed scales with battery size rather than motor output: the 52 kWh pack tops out at 100 kW DC with a 10-80% charge in about 24 minutes, the 61 kWh pack reaches 105 kW DC in about 26 minutes, and the 84 kWh pack can pull up to 183 kW DC, still needing around 29 minutes for the same 10-80% window because of the larger amount of energy involved. Every version supports Vehicle-to-Load and Vehicle-to-Home bidirectional charging, letting the car act as a power source for devices, tools, or a home during an outage.
| BATTERY | 52 kWh LFP / 61 kWh LFP / 84 kWh NMC |
|---|---|
| AC CHARGING | Not officially disclosed |
| DC FAST CHARGING | 100–183 kW depending on battery |
| DC 10-80% TIME | 24–29 minutes |
Design & Interior
The A2 e-tron's split-headlight front end pairs an upper strip of four configurable digital daytime-running-light signatures with a lower black panel housing the main headlight functions, a look distinct from anything else currently in Audi's lineup. Matrix LED headlights are optional, and the dynamic LED tail lights carry sweeping turn signals across the full-width rear light bar. Buyers choose between a standard exterior line or an S line sport package. Inside, the cabin swaps traditional plastics for softwrap fabric-covered surfaces on the dash and doors, a deliberate efficiency-and-sustainability play that also gives the interior a noticeably different texture from a typical Audi. Door handles are fully electric, opening via pressure-sensitive haptic sensors rather than a mechanical pull, and front seats face the MMI panoramic display's 11.9-inch virtual instrument cluster flowing into a 12.8-inch touchscreen in one continuous glass surface.
Technology & Features
The MMI panoramic display handles navigation, charging status, drive-mode selection, and climate control from a single touch surface, with a cloud-enhanced AI voice assistant layered on top for natural-language commands. A wireless Qi 2.2 charging pad rated at 25 watts sits ahead of the center console for smartphone charging, visible in official photos actively charging a phone alongside the car's own battery percentage and remaining range readout. The standard e-tron route planner factors charging-stop time into route calculations automatically, and Audi's "Pearl chain" production principle fixes each car's configuration early in the build sequence to streamline manufacturing at the Ingolstadt plant.
Safety & ADAS
Adaptive cruise control with speed-limit recognition is standard across the range, alongside a rear-view camera and a cyclist exit-warning system that alerts occupants before opening a door into a passing cyclist's path. Audi has not published a specific ADAS-level rating for the A2 e-tron as of this writing.
| ADAS LEVEL | Not officially disclosed |
|---|---|
| ADAS FEATURES | Adaptive cruise control with speed-limit recognition, rear-view camera, cyclist exit warning |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | WLTP RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 kW | 168 hp | 350 Nm | 8.8s | 160 km/h | RWD | 52 kWh | 423 km | $44,300 | Entry trim, smallest LFP battery |
| 140 kW | 188 hp | 350 Nm | 7.9s | 160 km/h | RWD | 61 kWh | 515 km | $48,600 | Mid-range battery, no frunk |
| 170 kW | 228 hp | 350 Nm | 7.0s | 160 km/h | RWD | 84 kWh | 646 km | $56,700 | Largest NMC battery, adds 13 L frunk |
| 240 kW | 322 hp | 545 Nm | 5.7s | 200 km/h | AWD | 84 kWh | 646 km | $59,400 | Dual-motor flagship, quickest and only AWD version |
Pricing & Availability
German pricing runs from €38,200 (about $44,300) for the 125 kW entry version to €51,200 (about $59,400) for the 240 kW AWD flagship, with the 140 kW and 170 kW versions priced at €41,900 (about $48,600) and €48,900 (about $56,700) respectively. In the UK, pricing opens at £32,200 (about $40,900) on the road. Orders open on September 10, 2026, and the first cars are due to reach Audi partners in December 2026; UK order books follow in October, with deliveries there beginning in early 2027. The A2 e-tron is built at Audi's Ingolstadt plant in Germany.
How It Compares
The CUPRA Born is the A2 e-tron's closest relative on freshmotors' own catalog — both share Volkswagen Group's MEB-family underpinnings, and the top-spec A2 e-tron actually matches the Born's 322 hp output while beating its 599 km range by 47 km, all at a lower starting price than the Born's single available configuration. The Lexus RZ undercuts the A2 e-tron's entry price but doesn't publish a comparable WLTP range figure in our data, and its 402 hp puts it well above the A2 e-tron's lower trims. The Volkswagen ID ERA 9X REV sits closest to the A2 e-tron's flagship on price but trades the Audi's efficiency-first pitch for outright power, at the cost of roughly 100 km of range. None of these directly replicate the A2 e-tron's core sell — a genuinely efficient, compact one-box EV rather than a performance hatch or a larger crossover.
- 12.8 kWh/100km efficiency and up to 646 km WLTP range are class-leading for a compact BEV this size
- Four distinct power levels, from an efficient 168 hp entry car to a genuinely quick 322 hp AWD flagship, all on one platform
- Bidirectional V2L/V2H charging and fast 24-29 minute DC top-ups across every battery size
- Entry-level pricing starts well above what "compact hatchback" typically implies, at $44,300 before options
- Frunk storage is limited to just 13 litres, and only on the two largest-battery trims
The A2 e-tron is a genuinely interesting bet from Audi: rather than another crossover chasing range through raw battery size, it revives a beloved efficiency-focused nameplate and backs it up with real numbers — 12.8 kWh/100km and 646 km WLTP on the big battery are both legitimately impressive for a car this size. The four-trim spread, from an efficient entry model to a quick 322 hp AWD flagship, gives it broader appeal than the original A2 ever had. The main sticking point is price: this isn't a budget EV, and buyers expecting original-A2-style affordability will find the 2026 version considerably more expensive. For efficiency-minded European buyers cross-shopping the MEB family, though, it's one of the most compelling options on sale.
