Audi A3 Hatchback review

As you might expect, the A3 isn't exactly cheap, although it doesn’t cost much more than a Volkswagen Golf – and on many PCP and lease deals, the A3 can actually work out cheaper per month. And while the A3 can't match the Mercedes A-Class's excellent resale values, it will hold onto its value better than pretty much every other rival, including the BMW 1 Series.

Audi has used aluminium and high-strength steel to help keep weight down. These measures ensure that the A3’s fuel economy and CO2 emissions are comparable to those of its best rivals. The most efficient is the 1.6 diesel, pumping out as little as 103g/km of CO2. However, the punchier 2.0 TDI 150 only emits a few grams more of CO2 per kilometre, despite its extra power.

The 1.0 TFSI engine is the most efficient petrol engine and comes close to matching the diesel’s claimed fuel economy figures, while the e-tron variant brings the cost of running down even further. Its CO2 emissions are just 38g/km, and while you can take the claimed 166mpg with a pinch of salt, it's still reasonably frugal in real-world driving. It can also run on battery power alone for around 18 miles in real-world conditions.

Use our True MPG calculator and see what your car really does to the gallon

The A3 comes with a reasonable amount of standard equipment, but less than what you'd get in some rivals. For business users looking for the cheapest company car tax, we'd stick with entry-level SE Technik, because you'll find sat-nav, air-con, 16in alloy wheels, Bluetooth, xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights and cruise control included, so it's hardly spartan.

If you're buying privately, though, we'd recommend Sport trim. This gets a host of extra kit, including dual-zone climate control, sports seats and bigger 17in wheels. Next up is S line, although since it’s focused on sporty styling more than anything else, you’re mostly paying for design touches. With that in mind, we’d stick to Sport.

The high-performance S3 gets a bespoke bodykit, leather seats, heated front seats, LED headlights and a host of mechanical upgrades. Finally, at the top of the range, the RS3 adds 19in alloy wheels and high-grade nappa leather seat trim.

See how we'd spec an Audi A3

The A3 got three stars in our latest reliability survey and was ranked above average. Although the Golf and 1 Series beat it, the A3 ranked above the Volvo V40. Audi as a brand ranked 20th out of 31 manufacturers, above Mercedes but below BMW and VW – a decent but not outstanding result.

The A3 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty and three years’ roadside assistance as standard. That’s par for the course, but some way short of the five-year cover offered by Hyundai and Toyota, and way behind the seven-year protection provided by Kia. You can pay extra to cover your A3 for up to five years or 90,000 miles for a reasonable price.

All A3s come with seven airbags as standard, but it's disappointing that automatic emergency braking costs extra. Called Pre-sense Front, the optional system can apply the brakes and prime the safety kit if it detects an impending collision. It can even recognise pedestrians as well as cars. Other optional safety kit includes blindspot monitoring and reat cross traffic assist; the latter warns you of passing cars when you're reversing out onto a busy road and will even hit the brakes if it thinks you haven't spotted something about to cross your projected path.

The A3 received a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, with a strong 95% score for adult protection and 87% for child protection. The e-tron model went through the test in 2014 and was also awarded the maximum five stars, scoring 82% for adult protection and 78% for child protection. For context, the Golf scored 94% and 89% respectively.

An alarm and an engine immobiliser are standard on all A3s, and the car received the maximum five stars from security experts Thatcham Research for resistance to being stolen and four out of five for guarding against being broken into.

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