2020 Audi A3 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Audi A3 has 16 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 4 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A3 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Fuel system, gasoline, Tire pressure monitoring, and Front passenger seat weight sensor.

2012 Audi A3 — Photo by Peulle, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (9 of 16), then Powertrain (2) and Electrical system (1). The most filings arrived in 2022 (7 of 16). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2019 and 2022

The 2019 A3 has 12 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Audi A3. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel system, gasoline 2024-02-14 · NHTSA campaign 24V110000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.

Remedy Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.

Recall tires, tire pressure monitoring 2022-10-31 · NHTSA campaign 22V815000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

Remedy Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2021-03-22 · NHTSA campaign 21V198000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.

Remedy Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.

Complaints by component (16 total)

Air bags

Powertrain

Electrical system

Engine

Seat belts

Speed control

Tires

Wheels

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"At 70,000 miles with only one owner, it develops transmission problems, making it unsafe to drive and control the car; control of the car is lost. Here is the link from the Dealer [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO…"
Engine · filed 2026-06-10
"Tire Brand: Continental Tire Line / Model: ProContact TX Tire Size: 225/40R18 What Happened: This is the second tire failure I’ve experienced on Continental ProContact TX tires (OEM on my 2020 Audi A3 S Line). At only…"
Tires · filed 2025-06-26
"Car has 50,000 miles and vehicle has a bulletin on the vehicle from Audi, where the vehicle goes into limp mode and only shift through certain gears, rendering the vehicle, unable to drive and creating a safety hazard…"
Powertrain · filed 2025-04-12
"The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission malfunction warning light was displayed, and the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The vehicle was driven to the…"
Powertrain · filed 2025-02-21
"As of October 25, 2022, the manufacturer (Audi) continues to not provide a solution to Recall Number 69BY / NHTSA Recall Number 21V198, stating that parts are still not available."
Unknown or other · filed 2022-10-25

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2020 Audi A3 4 DR AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2020 Audi A3 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2020 Audi A3 Cabriolet C AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2020 Audi A3 Cabriolet C FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
A3	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	Front-wheel drive	27	36	30 MPG	$2150
A3 Cabriolet quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	22	30	25 MPG	$2600
A3 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	22	30	25 MPG	$2600

Specs and fitment

8V A3, 2012–2020

Body styles Sedan, Cabriolet

Oil 5W-30 full synthetic (common US fills) , 5.5 qt capacity

Tire size 225/45R17, 225/40R18, 235/35R19

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V-198 covers certain 2015-2020 A3 Sedan and related A3/S3/RS3 and e-tron variants: the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied, increasing injury risk in a crash; dealers replace the PODS sensor mat and update the control module. Recall 24V-110 covers certain front-wheel-drive 2015-2020 A3 Sedan and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles (with several Volkswagen models in the same campaign): a fuel suction pump concern can allow a fuel leak that increases fire risk; dealers replace the suction pump.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Audi A3 Next year 2022 Audi A3 See every Audi A3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Audi A3 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2020 Audi A3?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (9 of 16), then Powertrain (2) and Electrical system (1). The most filings arrived in 2022 (7 of 16). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2020 Audi A3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 A3 has 12 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2020 Audi A3 been recalled?

The 2020 Audi A3 has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Audi A3?

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2020 Audi A3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Audi A3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Audi A3 is 26.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Audi A3 take?

US 8V (2012-2020) commonly lists 5W-30; US 8Y (2022+) commonly lists 0W-20 full synthetic.

Does recall 21V-198 cover the Audi A3?

It covers certain 2015-2020 A3 Sedan and related A3/S3/RS3/e-tron variants: the passenger occupant detection system may switch off the passenger air bag incorrectly.

What generation is a 2020 Audi A3?

8V generation (2012-2020 in the US). The next US generation is 8Y from 2022.