With a diverse mix of engines, fine ride and superb interior refinement, the third-gen A3 should be on your used hatchback shortlist

Find Used Audi A3 2012-2020 review deals
Used car deals
From £1,985
Other Services
Sell your car
84% get more money with

Is the Audi A3 reliable? 

Considering the A3 is a refined and well-made family hatchback from a long-standing and highly established brand, it should serve you well from a reliability standpoint. In the What Car? reliability survey, it finished 15th out of 29 cars in the family car class. It achieved a reliability score of 91%, making it more robust than the Mercedes A-Class

Sat-navs and infotainment systems are the main points of concern for reliability issues, while bodywork and engine problems are reportedly less common.

Engine: When starting any of the petrol engines from cold, listen for squeaks or especially prominent rattles. Even if the noise disappears after a short period, it is indicative of two potential issues: auxiliary drive belt wear or timing belt wear. To find out which it is, remove the auxiliary drive belt and start the engine.

If the squeak has disappeared, the belt must be replaced. If the squeak remains, then the timing belt is about to let go, so you will need to replace this as well as the timing belt tensioner.

Some owners of cars with the most powerful petrols, such as the S3 and RS3, have reported higher than normal oil consumption. Quiz the seller about the frequency of any past top-ups and check the service records for potential evidence of this, as well as, of course, inspecting the current oil level on the dipstick.

Gearbox: Some owners have complained that the gearchange on the six-speed manual ’box can become stiff to use, with a pervading grinding or thumping noise, or also transmission fluid oil leaks.

Advertisement

This could relate to gear linkage problems, especially if the car is a high-miler or has been used by a driving instructor. Cars may also experience issues with an excessively worn clutch linkage, which can cost upwards of £700 to fix.

Steering: If you hear an unpleasant grinding noise from the steering column when you turn the wheel, the control unit attaching the steering wheel to the column itself might need to be replaced by removing the steering wheel altogether. Budget around £400 plus labour to replace it.

Interior: If you turn the air-con up and it begins to squeak, it could mean the valve that controls how much air comes out of the vents is faulty or loose. If so, the system has to be degassed in order for the valve to be replaced. The valve itself costs around £40.

An owner’s view

Matthew Melnitschuk: “I have owned a white 8v Audi A3 for five years. I service and maintain it myself after ‘downgrading’ from a ‘W204’ C-Class I had owned for eight years. It’s great to drive, with a nice interior. I initially thought the Drive Select was a gimmick but I always have it in the Comfort setting. I have had no reliability issues and only had to complete regular maintenance on it, but I would recommend changing the spark plugs every 30,000 miles and the oil every 9000 miles or sooner. Oh, and I’ve had no oil consumption between changes.”

Also worth knowing

The cost of running an A3 should not be any worse than for a Volkswagen Golf or a Seat Leon because they all sit on the MQB platform.

Obviously, it will be more expensive at a main Audi dealer but here is what you should expect to pay for general maintenance parts: £15 for an air filter, £70-£75 for front brake discs, £75-£80 for rear discs, £150-£200 for a radiator and £10 for an oil filter.

A3s produced throughout August 2017 were fitted with rear hub carriers that were not manufactured to the right standard. A recall was issued for this, so check that the car has been taken to a main dealer and any remedial work has been done.

Jonathan Bryce

Jonathan Bryce
Title: Social Media Executive

Jonathan is Autocar's social media executive. He has held this position since December 2024, having previously studied at the University of Glasgow before moving to London to become an editorial apprentice and pursue a career in motoring journalism. 

His role at work involves running all of Autocar's social media channels, including X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. 

Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes.