Item: Audi A3 2012-2020
Rating: 4

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Looking strictly at price, you might not think the Audi A3 is a bargain buy. After all, you can have the same technology, engine options and drivetrain layout in a Skoda Octavia or Volkswagen Golf and both of those are cheaper, like for like.

Examples of the third-generation A3 (2012-2020) are knocking around from £3000, about twice the price of the equivalent Skoda or VW.

So why plump for the more expensive version of essentially the same car? Because it’s a better all-rounder.

On the second-hand market, where prices are lower and mileages higher, what you really want is a comfortable, dependable car built using the sort of attention to detail that Isambard Kingdom Brunel gave his viaducts. And the A3 should deliver that.

Outside, you get a clean, neat design typical of then-Audi design chief Wolfgang Egger’s sketches. The car was facelifted in 2016, bringing a more angular single-frame grille, as well as restyled tail-lights and rear bumper.

No matter which version you go for, you get an interior styled to look as though it won’t date.

Much like the ultra-luxe Bugatti Tourbillon hides its screen when not in use to make it look less ‘of the moment’, so the A3’s screen can retract.

This leaves a cabin that’s an optical feast of soft-touch and attractive materials, buttons with a reassuring click and trim pieces stuck tighter than a barnacle to rock.

There are no eye-catching gimmicks to divert your attention from something cheaper or less attractive lurking elsewhere in the cabin. In simple ergonomic terms, it is close to perfect.

When you want to use the retractable 7.0in display, it glides out of the dashboard and can be operated using a rotary controller.

It comes as standard with DAB radio, Bluetooth, smartphone integration and USB connectivity but can be upgraded on SE Technik, Sport, S Line and Black Edition models with dual-zone climate control and a 10GB hard drive.

Generous equipment levels meet equally generous practicality. The five-door Sportback model offers 380 litres of boot space, and the three-door model 330 litres. In other words, it’s equal to the Golf but a bit less than an Octavia.

SE cars got 16in alloy wheels, xenon headlights, heated wing mirrors and automatic lights and wipers, while Sport added 17in alloy wheels and more chrome and aluminium trim. S Line cars got lowered, tauter suspension and LED headlights, while Black Edition cars chiefly added black exterior trim and tinted windows.

Our pick is S Line trim, with its handsome looks and, even now, good residual values. We would make sure the car has the softer suspension fitted, which was optionally available on an S Line model in place of its firmer set-up.

The A3 gives the impression of a car that handles exactly as its maker intended, with a stable and accurate gait that is entirely undemanding of the driver.

Engines? They range from the ultra-frugal 113bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and the 108bhp 1.6 TDI diesel to the 296bhp S3 and 395bhp RS3. Our recommendation is the 148bhp 1.4 petrol turbo, which is fast enough and has cylinder-on-demand tech for a claimed 61.4mpg.

So it’s a refined hatchback with three or five doors, petrol or diesel power and the practicality and running costs to match a Golf. But it also draws parallels with the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series for material and ride quality. Small wonder so many people continue to want one.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Audi A3 2012-2020 review

Superb interior and low costs of ownership mean you can’t ignore a used A3

Good

Immaculate, upmarket interior

Engine response and efficiency

Near-flawless ownership prospects

Bad

Reserved, unexciting handling

Vocal engine

RELIABILITY

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.

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.

DESIGN & STYLING

For those unfamiliar with the acronym MQB, this was Volkswagen’s ultra-versatile, lightweight, part-aluminium, part-high-strength steel modular platform that it rolled out across all of its mainstream brands from 2012. It was light, strong and as easy to turn into a large saloon as a small hatchback.

For Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat its aim was to bring unprecedented economies of scale, saving the brand vast amounts of money over the lifetime of the platform.

Compared with the Mk2 Audi A3, the MQB platform shaved 80kg from the weight of the structure, improved crash safety and created more interior space.

Over it, Audi draped a shape so utterly familiar you could park it next to the secon-gen A3 and not only struggle to tell one from the other but, once your eyes had picked out the myriad of differences, still not be entirely sure which was the later car. The 2016 facelift made that process slightly easier - although only when you looked from the front - as the bonnet had sharper crease lines and the headlights had gained an unfortunate-looking extension.

The three-door A3 engine line-up featured a mix of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. The range kicked off with a 114bhp three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol and was topped by a 2.0 TFSI unit pushing out 197bhp, partnered with Audi's Quattro four-wheel drive system.

The 1.4 TFSI engine was dropped in favour of a higher-capacity 1.5 with lower internal friction and the ability to switch off when you are on the throttle, all to help improve efficiency but not at the expense of performance.

Those wanting a hot version of the previous-generation A3 could opt for the more powerful S3 model. It was powered by a 305bhp 2.0 TFSI unit capable of flinging the premium hatch to 62mph in just over five seconds with a manual gearbox, while Audi claimed it could breach 40mpg on a combined cycle. The even more hardcore RS3 got a 394bhp turbocharged five-cylinder engine, allowing it to sprint from 0-62mph in less than 4.0sec.

The diesel line-up was more conventional. A single, 114bhp 1.6 TDI opened the range, with a choice of 148bhp and 181bhp 2.0-litre TDI units, both of which could be had with Quattro four-wheel drive. And buyers could choose from either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic.

All versions were kitted out with MacPherson struts at the front and a fully independent multi-link axle at the back. There were also three states of suspension tune: standard, Sport and S Line, although S Line was only available with range-topping S Line trim.

INTERIOR

The Audi A3 always felt like the entry-level Audi, even though after the arrival of the Audi A1, it no longer was. Its interior worked at a basic ergonomic level but the style and quality enjoyed by those rich enough to afford larger, more expensive Audis was missing.

This changed with the Mk3. It marked the point where Audi democratised its brand values in order to broaden its appeal and reach a wider audience.

It seems almost redundant to talk about the basics. Of course a perfect driving position was achievable for all bar the freakishly tall or short.

For an extra £450 you could have Audi's fabulous Virtual Cockpit, which was configurable and could display a wealth of information, including your sat-nav.

But it was the quality of the fittings and the way they had been put together that made the previous-gen A3 shine.

It all looked so effortless that it was tempting to think all those neat radii and millimetrically perfect panel fits just happened naturally rather than being the result of years of blood, sweat and euros.

When you pushed and prodded the soft fabrics and plastics, you soon realised that there was very little inside the A3 that merely looked the part.

It was a spacious car too, at least in the front. Rear passengers were deliberately denied more than adequate leg room to provide owner/occupiers with the grounds to spend more on the longer-wheelbase A3 Sportback. The 365-litre boot was competitive in the class but no more.

There were seven trim levels available with the three-door A3 - starting with the SE and going all the way up to the S3 Black Edition.

The entry-level SE A3 came with 16in alloys, xenon headlights, cruise control, rear parking sensors and auto lights and wipers fitted as standard on the outside. Inside, there was air conditioning, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and Audi's MMI infotainment system complete with a 7.0in display, DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and smartphone integration. Upgrading to the SE Technik trim added sat-nav and a three-month trial to Audi's online connected services.

The Sport trim, meanwhile, gained 17in alloys, dual-zone climate control, front sports seats and touches of aluminium, while S Line cars got LED headlights, a sporty bodykit, lowered and firmer suspension, ambient interior LED lighting, part-leather upholstery and 18in alloys. Topping the standard range was the Black Edition model, which got 18in alloys, an improved audio system and lots of gloss black exterior styling.

The 305bhp S3 had its own trim level, with all the equipment found on an S Line A3, plus sports suspension and steering, a quad-pipe exhaust system, an aggressively styled bodykit, and nappa leather-upholstered heated front seats included in the bundle.

Those wanting a little bit of exclusivity added to their S3 could opt for the Black Edition version, which included the stylish, five-arm turbine alloys, lots of gloss black exterior trim, rear tinted windows and a Bang & Olufsen audio system.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

The 2.0-litre TDI motor was by far the best engine available for the Audi A3. The petrol engines were smooth and sweet, but they didn't add up when you factored in the price paid in fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, range and limited low-down torque, although the 1.5 TFSI Evo engine helped assuage some of those shortfalls.

Between the 1.6- and 2.0-litre diesels, the fact that the latter was 40bhp more powerful yet apparently would go just 5.4 fewer miles on every tank of diesel revealed all you needed to know. While the 1.6 needed 10.7sec to reach 62mph, the 2.0 could do it in a claimed 8.6sec. Our testing resulted in an 8.9sec run, but that was still a night and day difference.

The 2.0-litre engine arrived with the 2016 facelift and had an excellent spread of refined torque. It was only noisy right at the top end, around 5000rpm, but for almost all occupants almost all of the time, it was more than sufficiently refined.

The 1.0-litre TFSI, 1.5-litre TFSI and 2.0 TFSI petrol engines were all very strong performers, offering plenty of flexibility, excellent throttle response and consistent power delivery.

If buying a used example, we'd recommend the six-speed manual gearbox too, which was a typically slick mechanism that made smooth driving second nature.

RIDE & HANDLING

There was very little wrong with the A3's ride and handling, but that’s a long way from saying the chassis was exactly as it should have been.

Audi should be commended for making the previous-generation A3 ride like no other A3 in history. All the old shimmer and shake over rough surfaces was gone, replaced by a silken fluency much closer to what you might hope from a limousine rather than what you might expect from most Audis of the recent and not so recent past.

At low speed, there was still a little patter over rougher surfaces but nothing you’d not find in its leading competitors.

So Audi had fixed one of the A3’s traditional dynamic weaknesses. Sadly, the other remained, at least in part. The Mk3 was a more capable cross-country runner, offering improved accuracy and body control, but it was still not an actively fun car to drive.

While Audi may share its MQB underpinnings with VW, Seat and Skoda, the company was free to tune it any way it saw fit, so it perhaps was no surprise it prioritised stability over agility and ride over handling. Driving the A3 fast was at best a mildly pleasurable and only fleetingly diverting experience.

You might enjoy a run up a decent road in the car but it was hard to see it tempting you to seek one out or remembering it for long thereafter.

The steering lacked feel and the chassis the kind of throttle adjustability to encourage committing to a corner.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Superb diesel econonmy

Good value on the used market

Cons

Petrols could return more miles

Facelift models are dearer

Depending on which engine and transmission you choose, the claimed fuel consumption of your A3 could be as poor as 39.8mpg, or as good as 74.3mpg.

In reality, those figures bear little relation to the truth, but don’t blame Audi: it's down to the entirely unrealistic way in which the EU calculated them.

Relative to its key rivals, though, the Mk3 A3 was a frugal car, making it cheap to run either as a private or company car. Experience with the core 2.0-litre TDI suggested that owners should routinely expect to return over 50mpg, which, given the performance and sophistication of the product, was a magnificent result.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Audi A3 2012-2020 review

Superb interior and low costs of ownership mean you can’t ignore a used A3

Good

Immaculate, upmarket interior

Engine response and efficiency

Near-flawless ownership prospects

Bad

Reserved, unexciting handling

Vocal engine

Audi’s formula of mild visual evolution cloaking total transformation under the skin was likely to prove a canny choice.

The Mk2 A3 was able to dominate the class without ever being close to its best car. Dramatically improving the product while providing the reassurance of a familiar face ensured the continued patronage of Audi customers.

In our view, though, while we admired the last-gen A3, we’d have preferred Audi to have been a little more audacious.

It could have kept the style, but sexed up the substance a little to provide greater appeal over rivals like the BMW 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

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

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.