Item: Used Audi A3 Hatchback 2003 - 2013
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

If you like the sound of an <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a> A3 but don’t want to spend the money, have a look at a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf/hatchback/used-review/n776">Volkswagen Golf</a>. The Golf drives better, rides more comfortably and has a better reputation for reliability, yet comes with a similar range of engines to the A3 and costs less to buy.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/focus/hatchback/used-review/n203">Ford Focus</a> is another alternative; it’s nowhere near as classy as the A3 or the Golf, but it is an awful lot more enjoyable to drive, with engaging handling and communicative steering. The 2.0-litre diesel version also has a better reputation for reliability than the equivalent A3.

If you want a hatchback with a desirable badge on its nose, you might be better off with a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/1-series/hatchback/used-review/n798">BMW 1 Series</a>. It’s less practical than the A3, with cramped rear seats and a small boot, but it’s far more engaging to drive and has an interior that feels every bit as classy. Plus, you’ll find it’s fractionally more fuel efficient, like-for-like.

If you’re buying strictly with your head ruling your heart, try a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/ceed/hatchback/used-review/n834">Kia Cee’d</a>. The interior feels cheap compared to the Audi’s and it’s fairly average to drive, but it’s ridiculously cheap to buy and, if you buy one that’s less than seven years old, comes with the advantage of having a chunk of its manufacturer’s warranty left over.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/audi/a3">Find a used Audi A3 for sale in the What Car? Classifieds</a>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

2.0-litre diesel engines can suffer from catastrophic engine failures caused by wear to a sprocket on the oil pump. This tends to happen without warning so, as a precaution, some specialists advise replacing the oil pump with a new item or machining the oil pump sprocket to reduce the effect of the wear.

Diesel-powered A3s are also prone to failure of the dual-mass flywheel, another expensive fix which requires a replacement clutch at the same time.

No. Audi has finished very low down in many recent reliability surveys, which doesn’t bode well. What's more, the What Car? Reliability Index reports a relatively high incidence of faults with this generation A3 compared with rivals. Even the Volkswagen Golf, with which the A3 has many parts in common, looks more dependable, while cars such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Auris streets ahead of the Audi.

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Hatchback

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

The second-generation Audi A3 looks and feels classy, but it's expensive and bland to drive

Used Audi A3 Hatchback 2003 - 2013

Not too much. The most efficient versions achieve 74mpg on the official combined cycle, and even the fast 2.0-litre turbo version, which is essentially a Golf GTI under the skin, can get as much as 39mpg.

Of course, S3 and RS3 versions will be rather thirstier, especially the RS3, which has a 2.5-litre turbo engine that uses lots of fuel.

Keep in mind that four-wheel drive models will be less efficient, so unless you really need it, stick with a standard, front-wheel drive car. It’s also worth keeping in mind that like-for-like, the BMW 1 Series beats the Audi A3 on fuel economy by a whisker, with diesel versions that are even more economical.

Servicing and maintenance costs for the A3 will be slightly more expensive than with most rivals. Only the 1 Series is costlier to maintain.

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The second-generation Audi A3 looks and feels classy, but it's expensive and bland to drive


Prices for the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a> A3 start at as little as £1200 these days, but all that will buy you is a very early car with high mileage or a write-off to its name. However, £2000 is enough to get you into a respectable early petrol-powered three-door. If you want a diesel, you’ll have to increase your budget to around £3000.

The five-door Sportback didn’t come out until 2004, and it’s more desirable because of its extra practicality, so prices are a little higher. Expect to pay at least £2700 for a low mileage petrol-powered example with full service history, and £500 more than that for a diesel model.

If you’re after the more powerful S3, a tidy example will cost you from around £8000, while you’ll have to fork out at least £22,000 for a clean RS3 with reasonable mileage and a full service history.

A facelift in 2009 brought revised styling and a tidied-up interior; these cars will cost from around £6000 for a three-door model.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a> A3’s most common faults seem to affect diesel-powered cars more, so unless you really need to save money on fuel because you do lots of miles, we’d suggest sticking with a petrol model instead. If you can afford to stretch to a later turbocharged model, do so, as they’re great to drive – although avoid the early turbo-supercharged 1.4-litre engine, badged TSI, because it too has a reputation for poor reliability.

When it comes to trim levels, go for an SE or Sport model; the S line might look good, but its bone-shattering ride quality takes an awful lot of getting used to, and you don’t gain anything other than sportier looks in terms of standard specification.

Our favourite Audi A3: 1.4 TFSI SE Sportback manual

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of practical space </li> <li>Low running costs </li> <li>A comfortable ride </li> <li>A healthy equipment list </li> <li>Quality materials and thoughtful touches inside </li> <li>Rock-solid reliability</li></ul>

Family cars arguably have the toughest brief of all: they have to be good at pretty much everything. They’re used as the daily drive, on the school run or work commute (often both), and have to be able to cope with a family’s clutter on weekends and holidays.

The Skoda Scala is a relative newcomer, but it's&nbsp;already carved out a name for itself in this segment.&nbsp;If you're looking for a moderately priced car that combines a supple ride, neat handling, a spacious interior and a capacious boot&nbsp;it's well worth a look.&nbsp;Alternatively, if you're looking for entertaining handling then the&nbsp;BMW 1 Series may well be for you. It's great to drive, rides well&nbsp;and also comes with a top-notch interior, featuring one of our very favourite infotainment systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Toyota Corolla&nbsp;is another great choice. This latest version of one of the world's best-selling cars of all time can be had with a choice of two different petrol-electric hybrid engines, both of which should mean&nbsp;potentially lower fuel bills. It's comfortable, well equipped and should be very reliable, too.&nbsp;

Family

If you’re looking at an automatic <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a> A3, check it changes gear smoothly and doesn’t feel jerky when you pull away. The car's automatic gearboxes are known to have problems, and a jerky drive signify that an expensive repair bill could be just around the corner.

If you’re driving a car with a six-speed manual gearbox, check the change between first and second gears isn’t too stiff; if it is, it could be down to a gearbox synchromesh fault that isn’t cheap to repair.

Check that the air conditioning works, too; air-con compressors have been known to fail, and when they do so, they can be very expensive to replace.

Other than that, conduct the usual checks you would with any used car: make sure there are no signs of poorly repaired damage, check there isn’t any excessive smoke coming from the exhaust, listen out for knocks and clunks from the suspension as you’re driving along, and avoid any cars with rattles or tapping sounds coming from the engine.

To date, there have been six recalls affecting this generation of A3. The most serious of these affected some cars built between December 2003 and June 2005, and involved checking and possibly replacing the flywheel, which could shatter.

Before buying, it's worth checking that any recalls your car may need have been carried out through <a href="http://https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-standards-agency">the DVSA website</a>.

Also keep in mind that there is ongoing remedial work to resolve problems caused by the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, which could affect some 2.0-litre diesel-powered A3s, so it’s worth making sure you’re satisfied with the situation as it stands before commiting to a purchase.

Why wouldn’t you want an Audi A3? It’s no surprise that the car that started the premium hatchback trend is a popular choice; after all, it combines the compact dimensions and family-friendly space of the Volkswagen Golf - upon which it's based - with the quality feel and upmarket image of larger Audis.

On the face of it, that’s an exciting combination. However, the A3’s not without its problems; that desirability means resale values are high, and that in turn makes it a very expensive used purchase – or one for which you’d have to sacrifice more in terms of equipment, age or mileage than you would with other used family cars like the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf/hatchback/used-review/n776">Golf</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/focus/hatchback/used-review/n203">Ford Focus</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/vauxhall/astra/hatchback/used-review/n17406">Vauxhall Astra</a>.

Is it worth it? Well, the A3 certainly looks the part, both inside and out. Neat styling details and a smart, high-quality interior mean it easily ticks the premium box.

You can choose between the sporty-looking three-door model or the practical five-door Sportback, and there’s a huge range of engines on offer, from the basic 1.6-litre, which is a little gutless but efficient and mechanically simple, through a selection of petrol and diesel models, right up to the enormously powerful 2.5-litre turbo in the four-wheel-drive RS3 hot hatch.

On the road, however, the A3 is less impressive. S line models, which have sporty looks with big wheels and lowered suspension, suffer from a harsh ride as a result, but even the SE and Sport versions have firmer suspension than rivals. This sadly doesn’t translate to a more interesting driving experience, though, because the steering is both overly light and lacking in feel. Even the more performance-oriented versions, the S3 and RS3, are strangely uninvolving.

The A3 is therefore beaten in terms of driver appeal by the Ford Focus, in terms of comfort by the Vauxhall Astra, and for an all-rounder, the Volkswagen Golf looks like a better bet – it’s nicer to drive and feels almost as upmarket, yet costs less.

Nevertheless, for all its flaws, the A3 does offer you more space than a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/1-series/hatchback/used-review/n798">BMW 1 Series</a>, and it’s a better car than a comparable <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/a-class/hatchback/used-review/n965">Mercedes-Benz A-Class</a>. So if you want a small car with a premium feel that’s got plenty of room for the family, it’s still worth a look.

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Used Audi A3 Hatchback 2003 - 2013 review

Every 2021 Electric and Hybrid Car Awards winner

Ownership cost

What used Audi A3 hatchback will I get for my budget?