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Audi A3 boot space, practicality and safety

2020 onwards (change model)
Practicality rating: 4 out of 54.0

Written by Seth Walton Updated: 30 July 2024

  • Boot capacity matches rivals
  • Good head and legroom, front and back
  • Tight middle rear seat

How much space is there?

The Audi A3 is a roomy car, and our testers – who come in a variety of sizes – could get comfortable in both rows of seats. There’s pretty generous room all-round in the front, and both the seats have a good range of adjustment.

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Audi A3 Sportback 2024
The front seats in Audi A3 S Line models are sculpted to improve back seat space.

Premium hatchbacks like the A3 tend not to be overendowed with rear seat space but, again, the A3 is pretty good in that regard. 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. But that’s the norm in this sector.

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.

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, the others have a 40:20:40 set-up.

The plug-in hybrid A3 has a smaller boot because it’s battery pack takes up some of the space. It has just 280 litres of capacity – a figure bettered by plenty of smaller superminis. Fold the back seats down and there’s 1,100 litres of space.

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Audi A3 Sportback 2024
The Audi A3’s boot space is class competitive, though not exactly huge in the grand scheme.

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.

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:

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.

Watch the Euro NCAP crash test video

Euro NCAP rating

Overall NCAP safety rating 5 out of 5
Year tested: 2020
What is Euro NCAP?
Adult Occupant: 89%
Child Occupant: 81%
Vulnerable Road User: 68%
Safety Assist: 73%

Equipment and options

Each trim level will have different equipment offerings.
Basic equipment (17)
  • 3x3 point rear seat belts
  • ABS
  • Alarm
  • Audio remote
  • Driver`s airbag
  • Front electric windows
  • Isofix child seat anchor points
  • PAS
  • Passenger`s airbag
  • Rear electric windows
  • Remote locking
  • Sat Nav
  • Service indicator
  • Side airbags
  • Steering wheel rake adjustment
  • Steering wheel reach adjustment
  • Traction control
Standard Equipment
Optional Equipment
Black Edition Standard Equipment (4)
  • Electric mirrors
  • Heated mirrors
  • Leather seat trim
  • Sports seats
Black Edition Optional Equipment (9)
  • Climate control
  • Cruise control
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Folding rear seats
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Parking sensors
Edition 1 Standard Equipment (9)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Climate control
  • Cruise control
  • Folding rear seats
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Parking sensors
  • Partial leather seat trim
  • Sports seats
Edition 1 Optional Equipment (8)
  • Central locking
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric mirrors
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Heated mirrors
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Leather seat trim
  • Metallic Paint
S Line Standard Equipment (4)
  • Electric mirrors
  • Heated mirrors
  • Leather seat trim
  • Sports seats
S Line Optional Equipment (11)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Climate control
  • Cruise control
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Folding rear seats
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Parking sensors
  • Partial leather seat trim
S Line Competition Standard Equipment (10)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Climate control
  • Cruise control
  • Electric mirrors
  • Folding rear seats
  • Heated mirrors
  • Heated seats
  • Leather seat trim
  • Parking sensors
  • Sports seats
S Line Competition Optional Equipment (4)
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Headlight washers
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
Sport Standard Equipment (3)
  • Electric mirrors
  • Folding rear seats
  • Heated mirrors
Sport Optional Equipment (12)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Climate control
  • Cloth seat trim
  • Cruise control
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Leather seat trim
  • Parking sensors
  • Partial leather seat trim
Technik Standard Equipment (8)
  • Air conditioning
  • Alloy wheels
  • Cloth seat trim
  • Cruise control
  • Electric mirrors
  • Heated mirrors
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Parking sensors
Technik Optional Equipment (2)
  • Folding rear seats
  • Heated seats
Vorsprung Standard Equipment (8)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Climate control
  • Electric sunroof
  • Folding rear seats
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Leather seat trim
  • Sports seats
Vorsprung Optional Equipment (4)
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric mirrors
  • Heated mirrors
  • Parking sensors

Dimensions

Length 4343mm - 4352mm
Width 1984mm
Height 1425mm - 1430mm
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