While electric vehicles have taken a bit of a hammering in recent months and years due to how expensive and inefficient they are versus a traditional internal combustion engine alternative, as well as how much less convenient they are for the most part, they do have their advantages. The main one is neck-snapping instantaneous torque that makes you feel like you’re on a wild fairground ride.
Another is that, if you’re someone who likes to snag a used bargain, EVs have faced unbelievable depreciation that ensures even the most expensive examples can be had for half their initial cost in just a few years. Audi’s stylish and rapid sedan is a perfect example of this trend.
The RS e-tron Quattro Goes Like A Stabbed Spaceship
Audi RS e-tron GT ExteriorAudi
The e-tron GT was Audi’s first fully electric sedan model when it was unleashed back in 2021, while also becoming its fastest-ever sedan in range-topping RS form. It was built on good bones from the outset, since it used the same J1 underpinnings as the Porsche Taycan sedan, which had been released a few years earlier. The e-tron differed from the Taycan in that, while the Porsche was designed to offer the kind of sharp and engaging drive expected from a vehicle sporting the famous badge, the Audi was envisioned to be more of a soothing grand tourer.
That said, especially in RS trim, you’d be forgiven for forgetting this was its primary aim. Thanks to a pair of powerful electric motors shared between the front and rear axles to afford the car all-wheel drive, the RS e-tron GT delivers a tire-tearing 591 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque under most conditions. The car also offers a special boost mode, which briefly allows the powertrain to unleash its full 637 hp of might. At full chat, the machine can breach the 60 mph barrier in just 3.1 seconds, making it quicker than many high-end sports and supercars on the market.
Aside from the plentiful power and torque, which is delivered to the wheels instantly, the RS e-tron GT also has its traction-boosting AWD setup to thank for its rapid straight-line pace. With all four wheels sharing the work, the power can be transmitted to the road with barely a hint of wheelspin, allowing the car to make the most of its considerable power. The middleman on this occasion is a two-speed automatic transmission, which allows for more torque at lower speeds, as well as a higher-ratio gear for when the car is cruising along the highway. This allows for greater efficiency.
As a result, the car can manage 232 miles on a full charge. This may be a little low compared to more modern EVs, but the car’s powertrain at least takes advantage of an 800V architecture. That means, with the correct specification fast charger, the RS e-tron GT can replenish from 10% to 80% of its total battery capacity in as little as 15 minutes.
Audi’s Blazing EV Twins Comfort With Impressive Cornering Prowess
Audi RS e-tron GT InteriorAudi
Since the RS e-tron GT is aimed more at being a comfortable cruiser than a supercar slayer, Audi elected to equip it with air suspension as standard. It’s a three-chamber system that affords it 60% more air capacity than the system used on the standard e-tron GT model. This allows for a greater range between the softest and stiffest settings, effectively allowing the RS to be more supple than the e-tron GT in its softest setting, but stiffer and sharper in its hardest configuration. The system works in conjunction with an adaptive damper setup, allowing the car to corner with the poise of a supercar, but also with the majesty of an S-Class at the push of a button.
In addition to its advanced suspension, the RS e-tron GT’s dual-motor setup makes use of torque vectoring to help prevent understeer under power, while four-wheel steering ensures the car doesn’t plow through corners like the front-heavy fast Audis of old. Its heavyweight 5,126-pound figure means it’s no lightweight sports car, but these performance-inducing goodies help to make it feel much lighter and capable than this number would have you believe.
The RS e-tron GT Is Terrible At Retaining Value
Audi RS e-tron GT ExteriorAudi
Given all this impressive tech, its base MSRP of $143,900 seems like a pretty apt price tag. Still, it’s a shame that this puts it far out of the reach of most enthusiasts, given the average new car price in the US currently sits at nearly a third of that. Fortunately, depreciation is doing used bargain hunters a real favor, turning this very expensive GT sedan into a more affordable proposition.
According to CarEdge, the RS e-tron GT is expected to lose a mind-boggling 63% of its initial value in just five years. As a result, earlier examples of the once near-$150k machine now have an average used value of just over $66,000. Amazingly, that is just the start, as higher-mileage cars with north of 70,000 miles on the clock can be found for less than $50k on the used market. Spending the average value will secure you a 2022 or 2023 example with less than 10,000 miles on the odometer. Shop around, and perhaps give up a few optional extras, and you can find such specimens for comfortably under the $60k mark.
This crazy level of depreciation is pretty concerning for owners who bought their RS e-tron GTs brand-new, but it’s a real blessing for those who don’t mind taking delivery of a pre-loved car with the kind of performance that’ll get supercars worth several times more sweating.
Some Of The RS e-tron GT’s Fellow Rapid Sedans Have Fared Worse
2025 Tesla Model S Plaid drivingTesla
Somehow, the RS e-tron isn’t even the worst performing vehicle in its class when it comes to depreciation. The Tesla Model S Plaid, which is vastly more powerful thanks to its tri-motor powertrain that delivers a scarcely believable 1,020 hp, will shed even more of its value over the same half-decade period. According to CarEdge, if you spend $109,990 to secure yourself a brand-new 2026 Model S Plaid today, it’ll be worth comfortably less than $30k in five years’ time.
This translates to an eye-opening drop of 72.2%, which is frankly remarkable for such a well-specified vehicle with genuine supercar levels of performance. For reference, the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT gets off a little lighter than its Audi sibling in this regard, with the car losing 59% of its original worth during five years of ownership.
Either way, losing so much money over such a short period of time is far from ideal, and the cars will continue to lose value long beyond that as their mileage grows and they age. Buying used will at least mean you can miss the severely damaging depreciation that afflicts such cars over the first five years of their lives.
EVs Are Not The Flavor Of The Month
Audi RS e-tron GT ExteriorAudi
There is undeniably a trend for such expensive luxury EV models to lose so much of their value over a short period of time, and there are reasons for that. First, due to EV technology evolving so quickly, cars that were cutting-edge in 2023 are already being superseded by newer vehicles that sport more powerful and more efficient powertrains and other technology from 2026. This makes these older cars obsolete from a cutting-edge standpoint, and severely less appealing as a used option.
As a result, their values must fall much further before buyers find them worthwhile to purchase, rather than simply spending more to secure a newer car with superior technology. In addition, fears over long-term battery health mean many buyers are left hesitant about spending a ton of money on a car that provides restricted range, as well as a possible huge bill for a new battery in the coming years.
To add salt to the wound, the retail appetite for EVs is declining more than ever, with many buyers instead opting to spend their money on more conventional internal combustion engine vehicles or hybrids. As an example, new EV sales had dropped by a massive 38% in December 2025 compared to the same time the previous year. This lack of public interest in EVs means that their market value has nowhere to go but south, leading to sharp depreciation from the moment such machines leave the dealership.
As a used buyer, though, who cares? After all, you can add a luxury sedan with supercar levels of pace to your collection for the price of a mid-range Lexus crossover. Get one that’s less than four years old and has fewer than 50,000 miles on the clock, and you can even continue taking advantage of Audi’s comprehensive warranty. Bargains like this don’t come along very often, but a used RS e-tron GT confidently fits the bill.
Sources: Audi, CarEdge.
