Audi A3 hybrid reliability & safety rating

The Audi brand has an aura of German solidity and dependability about it, but according to some customer satisfaction surveys, that's not always the case in the real world. There's better news on the safety front, however: the latest A3 has a plethora of standard and optional driver-assistance and collision-avoidance technology on board, and was highly rated for its crash protection by the experts at Euro NCAP.

Audi A3 hybrid reliability & problems

In the 2020 edition of the Driver Power car ownership satisfaction survey, Audi was ranked a disappointing 21st out of 30 brands in the UK. Of particular concern was the fact that around a fifth of owners reported some sort of issue with their car. About the only good news was the fact that the brand outperformed its German rivals BMW and Mercedes, which were 27th and 28th in the table.

It's important to note that because the A3 hybrid only went on sale at the very end of 2020, those survey results don't reflect this model specifically. There should be no concerns as to the complexity of its plug-in hybrid drivetrain, as the same setup is used in numerous models across the Audi, VW, SEAT, Cupra and Skoda brands, so any teething problems will have been long ago worked through.

Safety

The latest generation of the A3 received the maximum five-star rating from the independent evaluators at Euro NCAP, with scores of 89% and 81% respectively for adult and child occupant protection. That's good, but not as good as the Mercedes A-Class, which managed 96% and 91% in the same tests. The Volvo XC40, meanwhile, scored 97% and 87%. Elsewhere, the A3 doesn't come up short on the tech front, with collision-avoidance, lane-departure warning, hill hold, cruise control and rear parking sensors all standard.