Tesla Model 3 vs Audi Q5

What's the difference?

VS
Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model 3

$44,800 - $78,800

2024 price

Audi Q5
Audi Q5

2026 price

Summary

2024 Tesla Model 3
2026 Audi Q5
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Not Applicable, 0.0L

Fuel Type
Electric

-
Fuel Efficiency
0.0L/100km (combined)

-
Seating
5

0
Dislikes
  • Looks a bit dull
  • Steering too light
  • Still feels cheap inside

  • Not as resolved behind the wheel
  • Touchscreen everything
  • Back seat surprisingly tight
2024 Tesla Model 3 Summary

It is highly unusual to drive around in a bed, but that’s what it felt like we were being asked to do with the new and terribly exciting Tesla Model 3 Performance.

Tesla doesn’t do media launches, nor traditional marketing, so everything about this event was predictably peculiar, but when we were told this new car was causing so much excitement that we should pull a sheet over it every time we stopped, to avoid people photographing it, or touching it (“if someone tries, just politely ask them to stop” as we were advised) we hit peak weirdness.

Eventually, they did agree to pull the sheet off one and let us have a look at the most exciting car Tesla has ever made that’s not a Cybertruck

The Performance is the Model 3 Tesla engineers and designers always wanted to make. Clearly, it was going to be called the 'Ludicrous', because some staff kept stuffing up and calling it that. It’s a shame the name wasn’t used, but at least it still gets an 'Insane' mode.

They really wanted to go all out with the original Performance version, but “a guy called Elon” didn’t want to add all the complexity that required at the time - he was focused on quality issues and ramping up production - but this go around he has let them have their heads, and encouraged them to go hog wild.

That means an entirely new power unit at the rear, staggered 20-inch wheels for sportier turn-in, aerodynamic changes for more downforce and less lift, new seats and the fitting of active dampers to a Model 3 for the first time, to help provide proper, track-ready handling.

We set out into the embrace of the adoring Los Angeles public (truly, no city on Earth boasts so many Tesla owners, they are everywhere) to find out if all the fuss is worth it.

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2026 Audi Q5 Summary

Audi has sold millions of its Q5 mid-size SUV since it launched in 2009.

The previous version was such a hit it continued to sell in large numbers thanks to tasteful upgrades long past what should have been its use-by date. And that’s what makes this one such a big step for the brand.

It’s the largest and most comprehensive overhaul of the Q5 since its original launch. The brand has thrown out the rule book and started fresh. Everything this time around is new.

Was it worth the wait? Does the new one have what it takes to live up to the popularity of the previous version? We attended the Australian launch to find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2024 Tesla Model 3 2026 Audi Q5

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