• Boot capacity average for the class
• Good head and legroom, front and back
• Tight middle rear seat

How much space is there?

The Audi A3 is a roomy car for its size, and our testers – who come in a variety of sizes – could get comfortable in both rows of seats. Headroom is good and the seat goes back a long way to accommodate tall drivers. It’s only the interior’s width that reminds you that you’re in a hatch and not a larger Audi, although this is no issue up front.

Rear legroom is about average for the class. The backs of the front seats are sculpted out to create a bit of extra legroom, an effective measure as a passenger of six-feet tall can comfortably sit behind someone of the same height, if not exactly lounge. Elbow room improved in this generation of A3, though the middle back seat is still on the tight side, especially for feet. A Cupra Leon is better for those in the back thanks to appreciably more legroom.

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Audi A3 Sportback boot space and storage

Boot capacity in petrol and diesel A3s is 380 litres, matching the BMW 1 Series and bettering the Mercedes-Benz A-Class by 10 litres. Official figures only tell part of the story, though, and we found the A3’s boot is narrower and less useful than its rivals’ cargo bays. The low load lip, bag hooks on either side and 12-volt power go some way to compensate for that.

The boot floor is height adjustable, as well. At the upper level, there’s useful extra storage space below; at the lower level the boot is several inches deeper, allowing taller items to be loaded in. Plug-in hybrid A3s get a smaller boot which you can read about in that car’s dedicated review.

With the rear seats folded down, carrying capacity grows to 1,200 litres – big enough for the occasional Ikea shopping spree. In Sport models, the back seats split 60:40 while the others have a more useful 40:20:40 setup.

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Storage space is adequate throughout the rest of the cabin. All the door bins can hold a medium-size drinks bottle, there’s a useful glovebox and a small storage area under the central front armrest. Cupholders between the front seats double-up as additional storage and there’s plenty of space in the centre console for a smartphone.

Is it easy to park?

Even entry-level Sport trim gets front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera to help you squeeze into spaces. If that’s not enough, Park Assist is also standard. This system can steer the car into a spot while you take care of the accelerator, brake and gears. A more advanced self parking system with a surround view camera comes as part of Audi’s Technology Pro pack.

It’s not like the A3 is a big car, though. It’s short and narrow enough to make finding spaces less tricky than a larger SUV.

Safety

• Full five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Assistance systems work well without being nannying
• Voice control standard on all models

The fourth-generation Audi A3 was awarded a full five-star rating by car safety body Euro NCAP when it was assessed in 2020, and that rating can be applied to the latest, facelifted version. Besides the car’s structure holding up well in a crash, it comes with lots of safety features including:

• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Collision avoidance assist which can help steer round an obstacle
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keeping assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitor

In our experience, the A3’s safety systems work pretty well, generally providing subtle hints and corrections rather than abrupt interventions you get in some other cars.

Isofix child seat mounts are found on the outer rear seats and front passenger seat. The rears are especially easy to clip into thanks to plastic surrounds that guide the connector to the seat anchorage point.

Watch the Euro NCAP crash test video