Audi e-tron – and e-tron Launch Edition – go on sale in the UK from £71,490

The Audi e-tron electric SUV goes on sale in the UK, with prices starting from £71,490 rising to £82,240 for the Audi e-tron Launch Edition.

The Jaguar I-Pace has had the premium electric SUV game to itself in Europe since Jaguar was clever enough to get it out ahead of the German competition, but now the Germans are starting their fight for the EV market as the new Audi e-tron electric SUV goes on sale in the UK.

Revealed last September, the e-tron has actually been available in the UK for the last couple of weeks to prospective owners who took advantage of the Audi UK deposit scheme, and they’ve been allocated the thirty examples of the e-tron Edition 1 available for the UK. But for the rest of the UK the e-tron proper is now is now on sale.

The e-tron SUV gets a 96kWh battery pack to feed a pair of electric motors with up to 402bhp on tap, good for 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and a range of 241 miles. Adaptive suspension is standard.

The e-tron can be charged using ports on the front wings, and the e-tron is able to utilise 150kW charging (when you can find it) for an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.

Technology includes MMI from the new A8, Virtual Cockpit, Audi Smartphone Interface, Audi Phonebox, MMI Nav and Audi Connect, Audi Parking System Plus and Lane Departure Warning.

The regular e-tron also gets 20″ alloys and LED headlights, with the Launch Edition being treated to 21″ alloys and Matrix LED and also Audi’s cameras instead of door mirrors.

The Launch Edition also gets a black styling pack, Premium Valcona leather, panoramic glass roof, electric steering wheel adjustment, remote preconditioning function Adaptive Cruise, Traffic Sign Recognition and 360 degree camera.