Audi A3 reviews

I bought a 2020 model A3 (~5000 miles on the clock) 6 months ago, and there were too many unfixable electrical problems, so I ended up rejecting the car. It was replaced with similar but with less miles on the clock, and a few months later the second car is back at the dealership with another pile of major electrical faults (at the moment it's undrivable). It will be with the dealer for at least 2 weeks whilst they scratch their head wondering what to do, and they wait for parts from Germany. Am I unlucky or is the A3 just a horribly unreliable car - you decide!

I purchised an Audi A3 eight months ago second hand,I thought I was getting a good reliable car for a higher than normal price second hand but today rear wiper went into mind of its own and caught fire making a big mess of my interia.after checking online this seems to be a common fault. My advice DONT get a second hand Audi.

Purchased from new in 2013, I can do nothing but praise the Audi A3. It is very easy to drive and performs well. The fuel consumption, particularly on long journeys is excellent and the car has proved very reliable. Service frequency helps to reduce costs, however, I have had better milage from a set of tyres on other vehicles that I have owned. Whilst not as comfortable as some cars I have owned, it is still very good. The hatchback facility allows great flexibility and the space available is more than adequate. The only criticism I would have is that the intermittent speed on the front windscreen wipers the frequency is too long.

I bought my Audi A3 at a car dealership in 2013. I don't normally frequent these places - I NEVER buy a new car and have, in the past, always bought my cars > 5 years old, for under £3K, and off a small dealer that I know and trust. I cursed at Audi drivers - always driving up your rear and shooting-off at lights; now I am one of them! and have been for the best part of 4 years. Still, it is a great car to drive - if a little 'bouncy' on country roads - not sure the traction control makes much difference there. Also, its not the most economic car to drive £200 annual car tax (ouch!), insurance is a bit on the high side and fuel economy is 40 mph on a good day, more like 30-35 mpg for non-motorway journeys. The 8-speaker, factory standard stereo is great as is the interior and fittings; my only gripe is that there's not much shelf space at the front. You cant quite get a full set of golf clubs in the boot (you'll need to remove the 3 wood and driver from the bag for sure!). BTW - Be careful of sitting on the key fob while, say, in the house (could be compressed in your pocket), but still in range of the car as this may cause ALL OF THE windows to open fully, leaving your car vulnerable to the elements and to any local 'tea-leafs' and opportunists. This has happened to me a few times and may not be an issue for the later models post 2013.

Love this car. It's an SLine with the cylinder on Demand 1.4 engine and it's the best Audi I've owned in 25 years of Audi ownership.

Great car to drive but lot of minor niggles: 1. Nowhere to put your right foot when using cruise control 2. Clunky design of media centre making it tedious to operate 3. Very little storage space inside the car 4. Small boot

Had the car from new,serviced regularly,and had no real problems As I am 84 years old ,this will probably be my last car! If I did replace it,it would be another Audi( probably aA1 auto)

I couldn't be more pleased with the A3 Cabriolet. I'm not a petrol-head but I do appreciate the performance of my car. I'm fairly light on the accelerator and there's plenty of torque so I can use higher gears at low speeds (good for fuel efficiency) but if I need change down and put my foot down I get instant and gutsy response. I have had it serviced by Audi (at only about £160 for each 10,000-mile oil-change service), I put decent fuel in it (usually Shell and sometimes V-Power) and have good tyres (Michelin Pilot Sport 4s currently). The soft top goes up or down in about 11 seconds and can be done while driving slowly if necessary. The boot, while a little awkward to access, has plenty of room and the roof doesn't impinge on the space. The S-Line seats in front are quite comfortable, if a little narrow, and I can get 2 adults in the back very easily (not many convertibles I test-drove could do this). Down-sides? I'm just starting to experience electrical issues - the wiring loom in the driver's door hinge is prone to breaking the odd cable causing, in my case, the air-bag light to come on. Easily fixed (if a little fiddly) once I knew where the fault lay. Every so often the brake/ABS warnings light up on the dash like a Christmas tree but turning the engine off and on again resets it OK. Still haven't tracked down this fault but it only happens every 3 months or so and the garage hasn't identified any fault with the braking system so I suspect another, intermittent, electrical issue. I love driving my car - enough said!

Absolutely brilliant: this car helps you to be a better and safer driver. I love it and am completely won over by Audis. I do not drive a diesel and never intend to, so the issue over catalytic converters does not concern me. This is easily the best car I have ever driven: I will certainly get another and possibly an A4 next time. But it will always be an Audi!

Quattro sportback 2l tdi 170ps Great car and fun to drive yet comfortable. Surprised at road noise compared to similar size Volvo. With the adaptive Haldex four wheel drive, traction is great but I suspect worsens mpg compared to the front wheel drive sportback. Driven with a featherlight touch on the accelerator pedal have acheived 65mpg over 40 urban. Typically 54mpg. Consider an engine remap (Audi do not support) to realise the real driveability hiding under the surface of the stock mapping. Need even more care to keep mpg same but much more fun. Emissions issue - model affected but no recall yet October 2016! Not relevant if you have remapped the engine however.

Despite only having a 1400cc engine the car is lively and performs well in traffic. The 7 speed automatic gearbox always seems to be in the right gear for the conditions, coupled with a selection of driving modes from economy, which includes a free-wheel facility, through to sport, which holds lower gears until higher engine revs are reached. Fuel economy since the car was bought (11/2013) is 44mpg overall, with over 50mpg achievable on motorways. The servicing intervals are quite generous, depending on usage, around every 18 months, but this is determined by the car's computer. Sport suspension fitted to my car is slightly harder than on the SE model, but is by no means uncomfortable. The car is quite short (4.237m) and is very maneuverable. The car has automatic headlights and screen wipers. There are a few things which could be better. Rear visibility, in common with many current models, is not great, care being required when reversing in car parks etc. The "creep" speed when in gear and the brakes are released is a little faster than I would like. Access into the rear seats is not particularly easy, and the centre tunnel goes through to the back seat, meaning that anyone in the centre rear seat has to straddle it.

Simple, reliable and consistent motoring.

Surprisingly fast and agile for a small engine, fun to drive and reliable. Running costs terrific compared to my last car. Boot is a bit on the small side though, limited storage in the cabin, small glove-box. Only one power point in the whole vehicle, necessitating a bulky and inconvenient splitter device if I want to charge my phone and operate my Satnav at the same time. Not the best-looking vehicle, a bit "ordinary".

A pleasure to drive , really enjoying this motor .

This is a great car, has all extras needed and seems to run nicely - really comfortable and the arm rest is also really good! Well worth buying and id deffo reccomend the arm rest

I am glad I got this car, which I bought at long range without seeing over the internet The dealer put in a new turbo before the sale, and when it turned out not to have cruise control as advertised the dealer agreed to send a cheque for having it fitted The car is very comfortable and refined and has plenty of oomph

I only received the car today but so far I love it.

Went to have a look at this car it has been in a really bad accident covered in filla overspray every were badged up as a sline but isn't rubbish car not even worth 2 grand was very disappointed someone will be buying a right dog of a car Mr smith

Looks good and drives good, a smashing car so far can't find any faults. A very good buy.

So far have loved this car. Smooth drive and very comfortable. Best car I've owned by far