Audi A3 Cabriolet - MPG, running costs & CO2 (2014-2020)
The Audi A3 Cabriolet comes with a sophisticated range of engines that offers low running costs
Although it's now bigger than before, the new Audi A3 Cabriolet is actually lighter than the car it replaced, which means Audi has managed to make fuel economy improvements across the board. The standard version is available with four engines – 1.4 and 2.0-litre petrols as well as 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesels. There's also the 306bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine of the high-performance Audi S3 version.
Audi A3 Cabriolet MPG & CO2
The 1.6-litre diesel engine offers the lowest running costs in the range, with fuel economy of 70.6mpg but we wouldn't blame you for wanting a little more performance from your sporty cabriolet.
Go for the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel and that's exactly what you’ll get. Fuel economy only drops below 60mpg if you choose to fit quattro four-wheel drive and even then the figure is a perfectly reasonable 57.6mpg.
The 1.4-litre petrol is a nippy performer, but can still return up to 55.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 118g/km. The 2.0-litre is quicker, but its turn of speed doesn’t affect fuel economy too badly – with the manual gearbox fitted, 49.6mpg should be possible, along with CO2 emissions of 131g/km.
Unsurprisingly, the fast S3 will hit your wallet the hardest, but 39.8mpg economy from a car that can do 0-62mph in just 5.4 seconds isn't too bad.
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The Audi A3 Cabriolet will cost £140 per year in road tax. If you're buying one of the higher-spec models, keep an eye on the final price; if you add enough optional equipment to push the cost of the car over £40,000, the car will be liable for a surcharge of £310 in years two to six of ownership, bringing your road tax bill to £450 during that period. The starting price of the S3 version is over £40,000 to start with, so that version of the Cabriolet will incur the surcharge regardless of options.
Servicing
The Audi Complete plan offers three levels of scheduled maintenance for your Audi A3 and it can be paid for in small monthly instalments.
The cheapest is Service, which covers all services for the first three years, while the Service and Maintenance plan adds cover for engine, suspension, gearbox and brake components, as well as three years' breakdown cover.
The final level of cover (Service, Maintenance and Tyres) also includes replacement tyres (with a fair-use clause) as well as related wheel alignment and puncture repairs. The cost varies depending on the level of cover and whether it's for a basic A3 or the pricier S3 model.
Warranty
The three-year/60,000-mile warranty that comes with the A3 is pretty average by today's standards – a BMW 2 Series has the same length of cover, but with no mileage limit. Audi's cover can be extended to four years or 75,000 miles or five years and 90,000 miles, but when you’re paying top dollar for a small convertible, a longer warranty would be nice. Remember, even the most basic Kia has a 100,000-mile/seven-year warranty.
