Audi A3 Saloon (2013-2020) - MPG, running costs & CO2

The Audi A3 Saloon is an upmarket product and looks very expensive compared to a Volkswagen Golf or Skoda Octavia. Yet compared to rivals from Mercedes and BMW, the Audi has the lowest starting price. It costs around £1,000 more than the A3 Sportback five-door hatchback and only comes in the top two trim levels – Sport and S line.

There's a range of three petrol and three diesel engines to choose from, with some of the diesels returning MPG in the 70s. The A3 hatchback’s 1.0-litre petrol isn’t available, though.

Like all Audis, the A3 Saloon promises strong residual values, although the engine and trim level of your car will have a big effect on how much of its purchase price it’ll retain when it comes time to sell.

Audi A3 MPG and CO2

The A3 petrol engine line-up starts with a 1.4-litre TFSI turbocharged engine with 148bhp, which manages 60.1mpg and emits 109g/km of CO2, resulting in a mid-range Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company-car tax rating. Although Audi says this engine is capable of more than 60mpg economy, in our experience 50mpg is more likely – still excellent for a petrol model.

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Next up is a 2.0-litre TFSI petrol, which manages between 128-133g/km in CO2 emissions and 48.7-50.4mpg economy, with the four-wheel-drive quattro models slightly less fuel-efficient.

The most economical engine is the 114bhp 1.6-litre diesel, which returns 68.9mpg (or 70.6mpg with the automatic gearbox) when 17-inch wheels are fitted. Larger wheels increase fuel consumption by 2mpg.

There’s also a 148bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel, which returns between 67.3mpg (for the manual version) and 57.6mpg (when fitted with four-wheel drive, 19-inch wheels and a manual gearbox).

Performance fans should also consider the Audi S3 Saloon. Its 40-43mpg fuel economy and 151-164g/km CO2 emissions (depending on whether you choose the manual or automatic gearbox) aren't too excessive for such a potent sports car.

Insurance group

Generally, the less powerful engines fall into insurance groups 14 to 16. It’s only when you stray into the 2.0-litre engines that you hit the 20s. The most powerful engine (the 300bhp 2.0-litre petrol in the S3) is in insurance group 38.

Warranty

A three-year or 60,000-mile warranty is standard on the A3 Saloon. BMW and Mercedes also offer a three-year warranty, but with unlimited mileage.

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Servicing

The Audi A3 servicing intervals depend on the schedule you choose. The fixed-inspection schedule, where you get your car serviced once a year irrespective of mileage, is more suited to town drivers making short, regular journeys. The variable schedule, meanwhile, is aimed at longer-distance drivers who do more than 10,000 miles a year.

Either way, when you take your car in, it'll need either an interim service for around £160 or a major service for £310. You can also plump for Audi Complete, a maintenance plan that covers the cost of varying levels of servicing, depending on how much you pay per month.