Our time with the Audi A6 Avant has come to an end. It has provided six months of largely pain-free motoring, clocked up almost 8,000 miles and averaged 45mpg despite some occasional less than frugal driving.

Top performance hit 58mpg in recent weeks, with the car achieving more than 650 miles between fill ups, enough to get me from our Peterborough offices to Edinburgh – and back.

Plus points: comfort, driver enjoyment, technical excellence (particularly headlights, entertainment system, iPod connectivity), space and looks. For an estate, it is arguably better looking than the saloon.

In addition, a cracked windscreen was replaced the day after it was reported by a mobile repairer visiting our place of work – a truly ease of motoring experience.

We have learned a lot more about Euro6 diesel engines since we took delivery of the car in April, including the additional cost to maintenance of filling with AdBlue. Our light came on at 7,000 miles, indicating we had 1,500 miles until a top up was required – effectively taking the car to 8,500 miles.

Audi’s own forecast was 10,000 miles, so this point arrived earlier than expected. The cost of refilling at the dealership was a few pence below £60.

Over a four-year/80,000-mile fleet operating cycle, the A6 would require approximately nine refills at a cost of £540 – something that fleets and leasing companies alike will need to take into consideration when budgeting or pricing their SMR costs.

However, this is an issue that all manufacturers will face if their models require AdBlue to meet the Euro6 regulations. Some have indicated to Fleet News that their AdBlue tanks might only be good for 5,000 miles.

So, to conclude, the A6 Avant is a worthy estate contender in the premium market. It’s proficient at everything and offers a low cost and enjoyable driving experience – surely the key points for any fleet and company car driver.