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2020 Audi A3

Gas

Subcompact Cars
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

83 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 3

Complaints1 crash reported 16

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 30 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2020 Audi A3 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact sedan with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the A3, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 16 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Audi A3 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Audi A3 · Photo: OSX · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
A3	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	27	36	30	$2,250
A3 Cabriolet quattro	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	22	30	25	$2,700
A3 quattro	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	22	30	25	$2,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42114, 41985, 41984.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
A3	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay
A3 Cabriolet quattro, A3 quattro	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sedan/Saloon
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2 L
Engine configuration	In-Line

Engine Output

Horsepower

184 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	AWD/All-Wheel Drive
Transmission	Automatic
Transmission speeds	7

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Rear cross-traffic alert

Optional: Adaptive cruise control, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Parking assist

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: Premium, Premium Plus, quattro Premium, quattro Premium Plus). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	174.8–175.6 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	70.9 in
Height	53.5–55.9 in
Wheelbase	102.4–103.9 in
Track, front	60.6–61.4 in
Track, rear	59.4–60.2 in
Curb weight	3,362–3,583 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	60/40

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 4-door Sedan Quattro, Cabriolet. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Fuel System, Gasoline

VW: 20UF/AUDI:20YF

261,257 vehicles 57% reported repaired

Problem 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. Risk A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire. Fix 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 re

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 24V110000 reported Feb 14, 2024 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

○minor

Tires

AU:45J7,VW:45J6,45J8

296,044 vehicles 84% reported repaired

Problem 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." Risk An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash. Fix 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.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 22V815000 reported Oct 31, 2022 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Air Bags

69BY

153,152 vehicles 73% reported repaired

Problem 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. Risk A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash. Fix 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.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Owner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 21V198000 reported Mar 22, 2021 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Fuel System, Gasoline — Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647) closed

On December 12, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened RQ23-007 to investigate the remedy repair effectiveness and scope of Volkswagen (VW) recall 16V-647. Recall 16V-647 was issued on September 2, 2016, for a defective suction jet pump (SJP) inside the fuel tank. Failure of the SJP could lead to a fuel leak from the vehicle. This recall covered certain model year (MY) 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf and Audi A3 passenger car vehicles. The recall remedy repair replaced SJP Version 1.0 with an improved version, Version 1.1. The SJP is designed to purge fuel from the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system. VW’s recall filing stated the SJP may have been damaged during assembly, which c

Opened Dec 12, 2023 · closed Jul 1, 2024 · action RQ23007 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific A3

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2020 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Audi publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Audi’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2020 Audi A3, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

16complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

14 per 10,000 built · Audi reported 11,284 A3 built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2021: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Air Bags 9

Unspecified 2

Power Train 2

Electrical System 1

Vehicle Speed Control 1

Wheels 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

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

Engine Jun 10, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11743138

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 13,000 total miles, I’ve had two separate instances of sidewall bubbles on different tires.

Tires Jun 26, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11669583

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 due to the fact that it can’t drive at Highway speed and or jolt and skips gears.

Power Train Apr 12, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11654220

The passenger occupant detection system has permanently failed and causes my passenger airbag to be off at all times including when a passenger is seated in the vehicle. The seatbelt sensor also goes off when no one is in the seat. Audi dealership said this is an Audi issue and the parts are not in stock. This is a huge safety issue

Air Bags Sep 5, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11482940

Our vehicle was purchased new a year and four months before the tires were considered completely "dry rotted" out by the Audi technician. The vehicle has 35, 737 miles on it, but it was all highway commuting driving.

Wheels Jun 16, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11469701

The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently come to a complete stop as the brake, air bag, and seat belt warning lights would appear on the instrument panel.

Electrical System at 3,000 miles Aug 17, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11429451

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
4 DR AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%
4 DR FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 1 filing by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Audi warranty extension AWA 24-04Diagnosed and confirmed malfunction of the vehicle’s AEB system that resulted from failure or malfunction of the AEB system’s control unit, camera(s), LIDAR, and/or sensor(s) which enable automatic…

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 729

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-25

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 719 service bulletins, 8 others, 2 warranty extensions

Most often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Unknown Or Other, Engine, Structure.

TSB_2083409_1 Service bulletin
2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
TSB_2052680_2 Service bulletin
2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
TSB_2074846_5 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Steering
This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
TSB_2020552_15 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Visibility/Wiper
This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
TSB_2078648_4 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Structure — Body
This bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
TSB_2068573_6 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Electrical System
This bulletin provides information when the rear parking sensor sometimes does not work, rear parking sensor loose, rear parking sensor fault message.
TSB_2030471_9 Service bulletin
2026-09-15 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
SM 39-2026 Other
2026-09-09 · Unknown Or Other
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 4.3%

failed emissions

346 initial inspections of 333 vehicles.

Measure	The 2020 A3	Every 2020 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	4.3%	2.2%	346
Failed the safety inspection	2.0%	1.6%	346
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.58%	0.19%	346
Miles driven a year	7,868	9,980	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	49,111	62,630	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2020 vehicle” is every 2020 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

A3 by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A 0 0 28 mpg 2026 A 0 2 28 mpg 2025 A 0 5 28 mpg 2024 A 0 2 32 mpg 2023 B 2 7 32 mpg 2022 C 6 9 32 mpg 2020 this page B 3 16 30 mpg 2019 C 4 14 29 mpg 2018 F 7 45 36 mpg 2017 C 5 71 34 mpg 2016 D 6 121 39 mpg

Common questions about the 2020 A3

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2020 Audi A3 have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the 2020 Audi A3. The most serious on file is 24V110000, covering Fuel System, Gasoline. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2020 Audi A3?

NHTSA gave the 2020 Audi A3 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it B (83/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2020 Audi A3?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2020 Audi A3, the best EPA combined figure is 30 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2020 Audi A3?

Transport Canada measured it at 174.8–175.6 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 53.5–55.9 in tall, on a 102.4–103.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,362–3,583 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2020 Audi A3?

Owners have filed 16 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Audi A3, most often about air bags, unspecified, power train. Of those, 1 involved a crash. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2020 Audi A3?

The EPA smog rating for the 2020 Audi A3 is 7 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2020 Audi A3?

The manufacturer has filed 729 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2020 Audi A3, most often covering equipment, electrical system, unknown or other. The most recent is dated 2026-09-25. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2020 Audi A3 do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2020 Audi A3 failed the emissions check on 4.3% of first inspections — higher than the 2.2% for every 2020 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.0% (every 2020 vehicle: 1.6%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	3	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	16	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	2 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	729	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	13 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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