Audi · Compact SUV

Audi SQ5

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

22 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

104 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2017 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 SQ5 →Which years to avoid Compare it

Audi SQ5 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Audi SQ5 · Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Active NHTSA advisory on 1 model year of the SQ5 — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Audi SQ5 model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Gas	A	0	0	—	23 mpg
2026	Gas	A	0	4	—	23 mpg
2025	Gas	A	1	8	—	22 mpg
2024	Gas	A	0	6	—	21 mpg
2023	Gas	A	0	3	—	21 mpg
2022	Gas	B	2	6	—	21 mpg
2021	Gas	C	5	13	—	20 mpg
2020	Gas	C	4	8	—	20 mpg
2019	Gas	C	5	20	—	21 mpg
2018	Gas	D	5	25	—	21 mpg
2017	Gas	A	0	5	★★★★☆	19 mpg
2016	Gas	A	0	6	★★★★☆	19 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2017

On the filed record so far, the 2017 is the cleanest SQ5 year we hold, and the 2018 the one to check hardest. The 2018 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2017	A	0	1
2016	A	0	1
2023	A	0	1
2022	B	0.5	2
2020	C	0.7	1
2019	C	0.7	3
2021	C	1	3
2018	D	0.6	3	Advisory

Also on file Beside the Audi SQ5

Best year on file The 2027 SQ5 Ranking Safest 2027 compact SUVs Recalls Every Audi recall on file Compare The 2027 SQ5 against anything

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: best combined mpg 22 → 23; 4 → 2 EPA configurations
2025: best combined mpg 21 → 22; 2 → 4 EPA configurations
2022: best combined mpg 20 → 21
2021: 1 → 2 EPA configurations
2020: best combined mpg 21 → 20
2018: best combined mpg 19 → 21

Common questions about the Audi SQ5

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Audi SQ5 year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2017 SQ5 comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 5 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Audi SQ5 years should I avoid?

2018 has the weakest recall record in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every SQ5 model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Audi SQ5 have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 22 recall campaigns for the Audi SQ5. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.