8 Audi R8 cars for sale

Used Audi R8 for sale: everything you need to know

For so many years, the Porsche 911 was the default everyday sports car. Then the Audi R8 arrived in 2006 and stole the 911’s thunder for a while - here was a true mid-engined supercar that was as usable as an Audi A3. The second generation arrived in 2015 and finally went off sale in 2023, and it carried on that legacy to the end.

All 2015-on R8s use V10 engines, and that alone gives it one of the most charismatic drivetrains of any modern car. It’s hugely fast too but the car’s ease of use and fantastic interior mean it still delivers the true Audi experience of a car that’s a pleasure to live with, not just to drive. Its popularity means older R8s are now getting temptingly affordable.

Should you buy an Audi R8?

The Audi R8 is one of the best all-round, high-performance sports cars available - a car you can mention in the same breath as the Porsche 911. It has the looks and performance of a supercar but forces very few compromises on you, meaning it’s surprisingly easy to use every day.

Mid-engined styling means the R8 has real visual appeal, and despite this very different silhouette from any other Audi, it’s very clearly still part of the family. The same goes for the cabin, which in many ways is more appealing than other Audis - not just for the low-slung, supercar-style driving position, but thanks to its simple, driver-focused layout that doesn’t cover your field of view in touchscreens. Quality is excellent, too.

It’s all about how the R8 drives, though. All second-generation cars are powered by a 5.2-litre V10, similar to that found in the Lamborghini Huracan. It’s a little quieter and more cultured here than in the Italian supercar but still hugely charismatic, very powerful, and easily accessed through a quick-shifting dual-clutch gearbox and in most models, all-wheel drive. But the R8 handles well too, being agile but not too demanding of the driver, while there’s enough pliancy in the ride that it won’t beat you up on British A- and B-roads.

Depending on the age of the R8 you’re looking at, rivals for the R8 are fairly wide-ranging - the Porsche 911 is the most obvious, with a very different look and feel to the R8 but a similarly broad range of talents, while the BMW i8, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, McLaren 570S/570GT (and others), and even the Nissan GT-R are all options - or, if you’re prepared to look a little older, even some Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

What’s the best used Audi R8 model to buy?

There’s not a huge variation between R8 models, and if you’re sold on the idea of an R8, then no model is likely to disappoint. Performance trim became standard later down the line and this gets you more power, though earlier, non-Performance R8s were hardly slow to begin with. Styling changed slightly over the years too - early cars looked a little more subtle, later versions with fixed wings may appeal to more extroverted buyers.