2020 Audi Q5: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
24 NHTSA owner complaints · 6 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2018 Q5, which has 200 owner complaints and a score of 35, and the 2021 car, with 140 complaints and a score of 33. Buy a 2013 to 2017 car: complaints run 92, 106, 98, 77 and 42, scores 80, 75, 72, 78 and 87. Read the full note on the model page. 2020 specifically: a year the record favours — 24 complaints, score 84/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Audi Q5 and Q7: the years to avoid, including 2020 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 24 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 4.0
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Traffic stopped very quickly. The automatic breaking did not engage, resulting in a crash and a total loss of the vehicle. I bought the Audi due to quality safety features so this incident was very disappointing and costly for our family.
Purchased a 2020 Audi Q5 sold as-is. Within 30 days, the transmission malfunctioned and the vehicle lost power. A dealer estimated repairs would cost around $27,000. This sudden loss of drive ability poses a safety risk.
The seatbelt comes loose and Nuna sent me a pad and screwdriver and refused to replace the seat. The harness won’t stay tight and I do not trust the seat to be safe for my child
Recalls: 6 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V947000 | Electrical System:Body Control Module/Bcm | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. |
| 23V842000 | Electrical System:Propulsion System:Charging:Cable/Cord:Onboard | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 RS e-tron GT, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron Sportback, Q4 e-tron, 2020-2021 Audi A8, 2019-2024 e-tron Quattro, 2020-2024 e-tron Sportback Quattro, Q5, and 2021-2022 A7 vehicles. |
| 19V737000 | Structure:Body | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi SQ5 and 2018-2020 Audi Q5 vehicles. |
| 22V034000 | Tires | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8… |
| 21V295000 | Suspension:Rear:Axle:Non-Powered Axle Assembly | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. |
| 20V505000 | Seats | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 27 MPGe · estimated annual energy cost $2,800 · EPA range 20 mi
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Electrical System8 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other5 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Engine4 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Seat Belts3 complaints · typical job: Pretensioner or retractor replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$800
- Forward Collision Avoidance3 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Vehicle Speed Control2 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
Other Audi Q5 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Audi Q5?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (8 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2020 Audi Q5 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 84/100, computed from 24 NHTSA complaints and 6 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2020 Audi Q5's most common problem?
8 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2020 Audi Q5 sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $540–$1,310 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2020 Audi Q5 cost to run per year?
About $4,386 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $21,930 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2020 Audi Q5 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recall campaign(s) for the 2020 Audi Q5, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 08/12/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury compacts of about the same age.
What will a 2020 Audi Q5 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 24 complaints, 6 recalls on record
- 24 NHTSA complaints on record (4.0/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (7.7/yr)
- 6 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality