Audi A2 has been revived as an electric car with 400 miles of range – and we've already been in it

It was a Saturday in 1999. Not the one Jamiroquai envisioned in 1996’s Cosmic Girl, its video overflowing with Italian supercars – including that purple Lamborghini – but instead the weekend of the ‘99 Frankfurt motor show.

Audi’s stand featured the all-new A2, a bold and futuristic car that, despite its aluminium spaceframe, low weight, excellent aerodynamics, outstanding efficiency, surprisingly spacious interior and clever packaging, was derided for looking unusual and having a price that was, well, virtual insanity. It cost almost 60% more than a similarly-sized VW Polo, and even a clever diesel engine returning 94mpg couldn’t save it.

With the benefit of hindsight, much of that negativity now looks misplaced. The old A2 was so far ahead of its time, it only now makes sense a quarter-century later. Which is convenient, really, because Audi has just announced a new one.

It’s called the A2 e-tron, since it’s all-electric, and despite being a brand-new car, the DNA is clearly still there. Just look at the roofline, the rear three-quarter, and the way the A-pillar meets the bonnet. This is the second-generation Audi A2, just not when we might have expected it.

Now the world has finally caught up with what the old A2 was trying to achieve, its successor arrives in a market practically made for it. This is a compact (ish) electric car with a spacious interior and clever packaging that claims to be the most efficient Audi of all time. An EV boasting up to 401 miles of range – when equipped with the largest battery – and likely a sub-£30,000 price tag if you go for the smaller battery (still good for 250 miles or so).

As redemptions go, this is a big one. It’s a second chance for the A2, a car that strived to achieve everything today’s EV designers and engineers stress over – low weight, aero efficiency, smart packaging – but with the benefit of 2026 knowhow, and none of the baggage of technology, or engines, from the previous century.

A five-door, five-seat EV, the A2 e-tron replaces both the A1 and Q2. It’s the most aerodynamically efficient car among Audi’s compact lineup, and is available with battery capacities of 52, 61 and 84 kWh. The car runs on a 400-volt architecture and the maximum charge rate is 183 kW, while both Vehicle-to-Load and Vehicle-to-Home technologies will be available.

Rear-wheel-drive, the A2 produces between 170 and 326 PS, depending on configuration, while torque is 350 Nm across the range, aside from the most powerful model, which gets 545 Nm. Zero to 62 mph times range from 8.8 to 5.7 seconds, and range spans from 262 miles to 401 miles. Incidentally, the top charge rate of 183 kW is only available for the 84 kWh battery of the 170 kW and 240 kW models; the 61 kWh battery can charge at 105 kW and charging for the entry-level 52 kWh battery is capped at 100 kW.

Despite that modest figure, Audi says a 10 to 80% top-up will take as little as 24 minutes in the base car, or 29 minutes for the largest battery.

Range is quoted by Audi as being up to 262 miles for the entry-level car with a 52 kWh battery, rising to 320 miles for the 61 kWh model, then to 401 miles for the 84 kWh battery. The latter is for an A2 with 231 PS and 350 Nm of torque. If you want more power – to the tune of 326 PS and 545 Nm, the same battery is good for 391 miles.

These are all for the A2 coming to Germany. Audi says cars coming to the UK will differ slightly, so the exact range figures haven’t been published just yet. A slight dip due to our preference for larger wheels is likely.

We do know the UK price, though, which starts at £32,200 excluding the government EV grant. If the A2 qualifies for the full grant (which hasn’t been confirmed just yet), that starting price will fall to £28,450 - comfortably undercutting the Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30.

Just like the original Audi A2, the new car has a surprisingly spacious interior. It’s also well appointed, with soft fabrics across the doors and dashboard, a pair of magnetic, cooled and MagSafe-compatible 25-watt wireless phone chargers, a 12.8-inch curved central touchscreen, and an 11.9-inch drive display as standard.

There’s an optional Sonos sound system with 14 speakers and 660 watts of amplification, an optional panoramic glass roof, and - a first for Audi - integration with Microsoft 365. This brings your work email inbox and calendar to the car, and lets you join Microsoft Teams calls (audibly, without video) while you drive.

More exciting is how this is the first Audi with Fidlock integration. Best known as a maker of magnetic mounts for drinks bottles and phones, primarily for bicycles, Fidlock has created mounting points for the interior and boot of the A2. Mounts in the centre console and between the rear seats accept a cup holder, while two more in the boot hold the A2’s charge cable bag in place, and a third combines with a tether and metal hoop to become a means of securing cargo.

Perhaps not as attention-grabbing as the Renault 5’s 3D-printed baguette holder, but it’s a smart collaboration for Audi that will hopefully lead to more Fidlock accessories in the future.

T3 got to see the new A2 in a studio ahead of its unveiling, and the first impressions were very good. Although immediately familiar to anyone who remembers the old A2, the new car has plenty of its own identity too. Sleek in a way that so many of today’s crossovers and compact SUVs are missing, the new A2 e-tron is nicely proportioned, with short overhangs, slim LED lights and jewel-like badging befitting of the Audi brand. Incidentally, the front daytime running lights have four different modes to pick from, one of which gives them a breathing-like animation.

Aero efficiency was a key factor when designing the car, and nowhere is that more apparent than with the door handles - or rather, the lack of door handles. Just like the BMW iX5 and Volvo EX60, the new A2 replaces conventional handles with a set of winglets fixed to the door tops. These improve aerodynamics, reduce drag and boost range, while also creating a cleaner aesthetic.

More importantly, they work well and are entirely intuitive. A capacitive sensor on the inside of the winglet senses when you pull it, and unlocks the latch to open the door. When inside, a conventional button is pressed with your thumb to open the door. The latches are powered, and should the car’s 12-volt system fail, each door has its own back-up power supply – so the doors will also open, and there’s no need for an emergency lever lurking in the door pocket, as found in some other cars.

Inside, the new A2 is relatively spacious in both rows, and an optional panoramic glass roof floods the cabin with light. There is a pair of rollers with a lovely haptic clicking motion on the steering wheel, but fans of physical switchgear might be disappointed to see climate controls offered exclusively on the touchscreen.

Audi has relocated its gear selector and parking brake to the steering column, freeing up space in the centre console and creating a storage area for your wallet, handbag or other everyday carry. Ambient lighting across the cabin makes the A2 feel nicely up-market, while an LED strip sits at the foot of the windscreen, spans the full width of the dashboard and uses animations to show things like the status of the voice assistant. It’s the sort of design detail you might not expect from a brand’s entry-level EV, so is all the more welcome as a result.

An Audi A2 redemption story might not have been on your 2026 bingo card, but here we are. Audi’s new premium compact EV takes what the original set out to achieve, adds in some 2026 technological know-how, and – instead of giving us yet another bland crossover – results in what promises to be a properly impressive, affordable small EV.