Skip advert
Advertisement

Audi A3 review - better than a BMW 1-series? - Design

Audi’s posh Golf is a massive sales hit and it’s not difficult to see why, though rivals drive better

Evo rating
RRP
from £20,365
  • Beautifully designed, impeccably built and competitively priced premium hatch
  • All just a bit too grown up and sensible, needs a more playful side

The A3 may be a victim of its own success, its omnipresence meaning you’re unlikely notice it, especially if you’ve chosen one of the more sober greys, black or dark blue on offer on the colour charts. Audi offers a wide range of smart alloy wheel options if you want to be different - and spend money and time on the configurator.

Advertisement - Article continues below

What the A3 does do very well is look premium, it may be sutble, but elements like the brightwork and lighting signatures make this very obviously an Audi. It may lack the crisp surfacing quality of the new A4, but the advantage of keeping the car subtle, is that it still looks fresh, despite being past the halfway mark of its life cycle. 

There’s plenty of headlight choices, including full LED lights, Audi also offering exterior trim choices like privacy glass, a panoramic roof, aluminium trims, black packs for added personalisation. S line models come with the most appealing combination of options, for the best looking A3 you can have without stretching to the S3 flagship. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

This mystery Porsche 911 GT3 has something no GT product has had before
Porsche 911 GT3 Ducktail spies
News

This mystery Porsche 911 GT3 has something no GT product has had before

An unusually undisguised Porsche test mule has been spotted out on the Nürburgring, giving a 911 GT3 a fixed ducktail wing
13 Jul 2026
Ariel Atom 4RR review – is the most powerful Atom ever worth McLaren 750S money?
Ariel Atom 4RR front
Reviews

Ariel Atom 4RR review – is the most powerful Atom ever worth McLaren 750S money?

Britain’s ultimate track car just got more extreme and more powerful. We drive it on road and track
14 Jul 2026
Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider review – 1035bhp drop-top takes on the Lamborghini Revuelto
Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider
Reviews

Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider review – 1035bhp drop-top takes on the Lamborghini Revuelto

The 849 Testarossa is the pinnacle of Ferrari's series production cars, and a big step on from the SF90. Is it even better without a roof?
15 Jul 2026