Used Audi A3

The Audi A3 is a premium family hatchback, a technical cousin of the Golf with a more upmarket finish. It suits a solo driver as well as a small household, and it's composed on long trips. Used, you'll mostly find the third generation (2012 to 2020, facelifted in 2016) and the fourth, launched in 2020. It comes as a five-door Sportback, a saloon and, in the third generation, a convertible.

There are lots of engines: TFSI petrols from 1.0 to 2.0, 1.6 and 2.0 TDI diesels, plug-in hybrids (Sportback e-tron, then TFSI e) and the sporty S3 and RS 3. Many have the S tronic automatic gearbox, some have quattro all-wheel drive.

The A3 has been a popular company car in Belgium. A high-mileage car serviced at the dealer can be a good buy; a cheap A3 with no history deserves suspicion. Depending on the year, a diesel can be Euro 5 or Euro 6, and in Brussels that changes everything.

Before you buy, check:

• the Euro standard and any open recalls on the Car-Pass;
• the S tronic gearbox's servicing and how it behaves on the test drive;
• the timing belt date on engines that have one;
• battery health on the Car-Pass for a plug-in hybrid;
• the soft top and seals on a convertible.

On Woto, every car has a story, and with an A3 you should always ask for it.