Audi Q3 TFSI e EV Charging Cable

The charge time gives the game away

Audi UK quotes about three hours forty five minutes to fill the Q3 TFSI e from empty on a 7 kW home wall box. The battery is 10.4 kWh usable. Work that back and the car is averaging under three kilowatts, which is exactly what you would expect from a 3.6 kW charger with the usual taper at the top.

If the car could draw 7 kW, the same battery would be full in about an hour and three quarters. It is not, and the technical table confirms why: this charger is capped at 3.6 kW on one phase and three, at every amperage. No cable can lift that figure: the onboard charger decides it.

So the money goes into length instead

A 16A cable is not a compromise on this car, it is the correct specification. Whatever you save against a 32A lead is better spent making sure the one you buy actually reaches, which on an SUV with an unpublished port position is the decision that more often goes wrong.

There is no rapid charging on this one, and no socket that could offer it. Every kilowatt hour it ever receives comes down the Type 2 cable, so the lead is a functional part of the car rather than something kept in the boot for emergencies. On the 2019 to 2023 Q3 there is no DC socket either, so the cable is not simply the convenient way to charge, it is the only way.

The 2024 Sportback e-hybrid is much quicker

The newer Q3 Sportback e-hybrid carries 19.7 kWh net for about 72 miles of electric range, and Audi quotes roughly three hours on a 7 kW wall box. Nearly twice the battery in less time than the old car took implies something around 6.6 kW, which is a different machine entirely.

Audi does not state the charger rating or its phase configuration for that car, so we cannot confirm it, but if you have the 2024 Sportback it is worth asking a dealer rather than assuming the old 3.6 kW answer still applies. It almost certainly does not.

How long a full charge takes

Each figure is the pack size divided by the power actually drawn, with 13 per cent added for charging losses and the result rounded to the quarter hour. Columns are the 2019 to 2023 car and the 2024 Sportback e-hybrid. The second column is shown at the rate we can verify; if that car does turn out to accept more, its real times will be shorter.

Which length for a Q3 TFSI e

We have not found the charge port position published for the Q3 TFSI e by Audi or by any source we would rely on, so we are not going to guess at it. On a 4.5 metre SUV the difference between a port on the near side and the far side is the difference between 5 and 10 metres.

Look at the car, note which corner the flap is on, then measure from there to the wall box with the car parked the way it normally sits. Measure from the charge point to the inlet as the car actually parks, then add two metres of slack.

How these cables are built

Construction is to IEC 62196-2 with CE marking, IP55 weather protection and a -30C to +50C operating range.

The three pin cable is built to IEC 62752, CE marked, sealed to IP67 and rated from -30C to +60C. Backed by a two year manufacturer's warranty, with free next working day delivery and a 30 day return window.

Looking at another Audi? Start with the Audi Q4 e-tron EV Charging Cable, or browse every model in Audi charging cables.

Audi Q3 TFSI e charging cable questions

Which cable does a Q3 TFSI e need?

A 16A Type 2 to Type 2 lead. The 2019 to 2023 car is capped at 3.6 kW whatever it is plugged into, so a 32A cable would finish at the same time.

Why does Audi quote 3h45 on a 7 kW charger?

Because the car cannot use 7 kW. A 10.4 kWh battery taking nearly four hours works out at under three kilowatts average, which is a 3.6 kW charger with the usual taper.

Can a Q3 TFSI e rapid charge?

No. The 2019 to 2023 car has no DC socket at all, so the Type 2 cable is the only way to charge it.

Is the 2024 Sportback e-hybrid the same?

No. It carries 19.7 kWh for about 72 miles and fills in roughly three hours, which implies a much faster charger. Audi does not publish the figure, so ask a dealer rather than assuming.