The fourth-generation Audi A3 8Y and its plug-in hybrid family

The Audi A3 8Y is the fourth generation of Audi's A3 compact, on sale since 2020 and the successor to the A3 8V. It came as a five-door Sportback and a four-door notchback, with petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines, and the sporting S3 and RS3 joined the line-up later. The model was revised in 2024 and updated again in June 2026.

When did the A3 8Y arrive?

Journalists were invited in early February 2020 to test prototypes on Sao Miguel, about a month before the planned Geneva premiere. Large events in Switzerland were banned, so the premiere had to be moved to Ingolstadt. Production of the estate began in March 2020 and of the saloon in April 2020, with deliveries beginning in July 2020.

The premiere was held among the previous generations in the special exhibition 'Audi A3 erleben' in building A51 of the Audi Forum in Ingolstadt, and a premiere video was streamed live online. The saloon's notchback version was presented on 21 April 2020.

The sporty S3 and RS3 followed on 11 August 2020 and 19 July 2021. A revised version came on 12 March 2024, and from then on the estate was also offered as the allstreet, with a higher body and off-road styling.

From the first 2020 previews to the 2026 interior update, the A3 8Y kept adding engines.

Which bodies did the A3 8Y come in?

The A3 8Y was built as a five-door Sportback estate-style body and as a four-door notchback saloon. The five-door is produced at Audi's Ingolstadt plant, where a new body shop was built on the northern site. The C-pillar carries a third side window.

The five-door is 4,343 mm (171 in) long, 1,816 mm (71.5 in) wide and 1,449 mm (57.0 in) high, with a 2,636 mm (103.8 in) wheelbase. Its loading sill sits 671 mm (26.4 in) high when unladen, and the boot holds between 380 and 1,200 litres.

The saloon is 4,495 mm (177.0 in) long and 1,425 mm (56.1 in) high. Compared with the estate it is up to 10 kg (22 lb) heavier, and its boot holds 425 litres. Drag coefficients are 0.28 for the five-door and 0.25 to 0.27 for the four-door.

Engine line-up at a glance

The launch line-up had a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the 35 TFSI, and two turbocharged 2.0-litre diesels, the 30 TDI and the 35 TDI. The 35 TFSI and 30 TDI came with a six-speed manual, while the 35 TDI had a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox.

The 35 TFSI with the dual-clutch gearbox added a 48-volt system and a belt starter-generator, which gives up to 9 kW (12 PS; 12 hp) and 50 Nm (37 lb ft) of assistance on pull-away and recovers up to 12 kW under braking. As of August 2020 the S3 was the only engine tied to all-wheel drive.

Plug-in hybrids followed in October and December 2020. The 40 TFSI e and 45 TFSI e combine a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with an 80 kW (109 PS; 107 hp) electric unit, linked to a six-speed dual-clutch box. The 45 TFSI e gains 30 kW (41 PS; 40 hp) and 50 Nm (37 lb ft) more through control software, and the original battery was 13 kWh gross, good for 63 km under WLTP.

A revised plug-in version was presented in October 2024. Its battery grew to 25.7 kWh, almost twice the size, and the electric range rose to up to 143 km under WLTP.

How does the A3 8Y ride and handle?

Lower-powered versions have a compound-link rear axle. From 110 kW upward the rear becomes a four-link design with individual wheel location, and the front has MacPherson struts with triangular wishbones. The standard wheel size is 16 inches, and rims can be specified up to 19 inches. The S3 comes on 18-inch wheels.

The electromechanical steering has a 14.9:1 ratio as standard, and 2.5 turns from lock to lock. Progressive steering, with 14.3:1 at the centre, was optional, and standard on the S3. Adaptive dampers with three driver-selected settings are also available, and one equipment line gets a sports suspension that lowers the body by 15 mm.

The ESC stability control gained radial torque control, which lightly brakes the inside wheels to raise torque on the outside. With all-wheel drive, three modes are available: ESC ON, a sport mode for loose surfaces and ESC OFF.

How did the A3 8Y perform in safety tests?

Euro NCAP tested the A3 at the end of 2020 and awarded it five out of five stars. Five years later the series was retested and achieved five out of five stars again.

All lateral-dynamics inputs are gathered in one central unit, which Audi calls the modular driving dynamics controller, and passed on to the vehicle's systems as needed.

What trims and equipment could buyers choose?

Buyers chose from three trims: Basis, advanced and S line, and an 'edition one' was available at launch for the A3 and S3. Body trim, wheels and paint varied by line, and the headlights ranged from LED units to a top Matrix LED system with 15 segments.

Summer wheels came in 13 designs and winter wheels in three, and at least one solid paint came at no extra cost. Extra-cost paints included another solid colour, eight metallics, one pearl effect and special colours.

The seat cloth used recycled material: up to 45 recycled 1.5-litre PET bottles per seat cover set, which the manufacturer puts at up to 89 per cent recycled content. The carpet is said to use 62 bottles.

Visually the S3 is set apart by its own bumpers, bigger standard wheels and silver accents around the lower body and mirror caps. Its oval tailpipes are double-sided, giving four flows in total. Larger roof-edge or boot-lid spoilers in carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic were optional extras, standard only on the S3 edition one.

Buyers can add a panoramic glass roof at extra cost, and the estate is available with a roof rail. On edition one cars the unlit portions of the headlamps are shaded darker.

Infotainment and cockpit

The infotainment system uses the third generation of the Modular Infotainment Toolkit of the Volkswagen Group. An optional premium audio system brings up to 15 loudspeakers with 680 W in total. The instrument display is a 10.25-inch (260 mm) screen, upgradable to a 12.3-inch (312 mm) virtual cockpit.

Radio with FM and DAB+ is standard, and the climate controls use push buttons rather than the touch slider used in the VW Golf VIII. The car carries Car2x communication, which a test publication doubted would be usable at launch because the infrastructure was missing.

In June 2026 the interior was revised with a curved display made of two screens, and haptic elements for the climate controls were dropped.

Who designed the A3 8Y, and how was it launched?

Exterior designer Phillipp Roemers and design chief Marc Lichte led the design. The front wings are more emphasised than on the 8V, and their lines drop away towards the doors, the front overhang grew by about 35 mm (1.4 in), and the centre console angles towards the driver.

The launch campaign began in July 2020 and ran on social media and on television channels. In Switzerland it covered three national languages. The manufacturer says the inner door openers recall hockey sticks in their shape.