Audi Q4 e-tron EV Charging Cable

Audi tells you the useful number, if you read the small print

Most manufacturers quote charge times against an 11 kW three phase wall box, which flatters the car and misleads a British buyer. Audi UK quotes the Q4 against a 7.4 kW wall box instead: nine hours forty five for the 40 e-tron and thirteen hours for the 45. Those figures only work out if the car genuinely draws about 7.4 kW on a single phase.

Britain wires houses on one phase, so the 11 kW on the spec sheet becomes 7.4 kW on the driveway. Which is exactly what a 32A single phase lead delivers, so that is the one to own and the three phase version adds nothing at a house. So the Q4 is a straightforward 32A car with no phase trap hiding in it, which is not something we can say about every Volkswagen Group product.

Four versions and one that is different

The 35 e-tron holds 52 kWh usable from a 55 kWh pack, quoted at about 212 miles, and carries a 7.2 kW charger that is genuinely single phase rather than a three phase one. The 40, 45 and 50 quattro carry 77 kWh usable from 82 gross, with the 2024 update listing the 40 at 59 kWh net, and range from about 247 to 349 miles depending on version and body.

Both arrangements land in the same place at a British house: around 7.2 to 7.4 kW. The Sportback body changes the range figures slightly and nothing about the charging.

How long a full charge takes

Hours are worked from battery size against power drawn, plus a 13 per cent allowance for what is lost as heat, rounded to fifteen minutes. Miles per hour is worked at a conservative 3.5 miles per kWh. Columns are the 35 e-tron, the 2024 40 e-tron and the 77 kWh cars. Our calculated times and Audi's published ones agree closely, which is what you would expect when both are worked on the same 7.4 kW.

DC rapid charging runs from 100 kW on the 35 up to 185 kW on the latest 55 quattro, so a long journey does not lean on this cable.

Which length for a Q4 e-tron

The inlet sits on the rear flank, about where a fuel filler would be on a petrol car. We have not found the side confirmed for a right hand drive Q4, so this is one to check rather than assume, and it decides whether 5 metres is comfortable or marginal.

The Q4 is 4.59 metres. If the port ends up on the same side as your charge point when the car is parked as it normally is, 5 metres is fine. If not, the lead has to come round 4.6 metres of car and 10 metres is the answer. Choose on the real distance from inlet to charge point, not the distance on the drawing, and never buy it tight.

How these cables are built

Standards are IEC 62196-2 and CE, protection is IP55, and the specified working range runs -30C to +50C.

Three pin leads are made to IEC 62752, CE marked and IP67 sealed, with a -30C to +60C specification. Two years of manufacturer warranty, free next working day shipping anywhere in the UK, and a month to change your mind.

Related: Audi e-tron EV Charging Cable, and Audi charging cables for every other model we cover. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Audi Q4 e-tron charging cable questions

What cable does a Q4 e-tron need?

A 32A single phase Type 2 to Type 2 cable. Audi's own charge times are quoted against a 7.4 kW wall box, which confirms the car really does draw that on a single phase.

How long does a Q4 e-tron take to charge?

Audi quotes nine hours forty five for the 40 e-tron and thirteen hours for the 45, both on a 7.4 kW home wall box. Our arithmetic agrees.

Is the 35 e-tron different?

Slightly. It has a 7.2 kW single phase charger rather than an 11 kW three phase one, on a smaller 52 kWh pack. At a house both arrangements give about the same power, so the same cable suits.

Where is the charge port?

On the rear flank, where a fuel filler would sit. We have not found the side confirmed for right hand drive cars, so check yours before choosing between 5 and 10 metres.