Audi RS3 Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

There are many car enthusiasts that would prefer to be having more fun at modest speeds, and brilliant though the Audi RS3 is it can't offer the sheer entertainment of something like a Toyota GR86 or Honda Civic Type R. 

While those cars are great driver's tools, the Audi RS3's all-weather security and refinement is well ahead of both, and if you're after straight-line pace there's not much short of £100k+ supercars that can live with it. As an all-rounder that'll tackle anything you throw at it from the commute to a back-road blast, the Audi RS3 is the hot hatch king. 

The Audi RS3 has one car firmly in its crosshairs: the Mercedes-AMG A 45. Similarly priced and very nearly as quick, both also have a trick four-wheel drive system and are usable every day. The RS3 is more comfortable and refined, however. 

Currently BMW doesn't make a super-fast version of the 1 Series (the M135i is as close as it gets), so other rivals come from the performance coupe sphere. Chief among those is the cheaper BMW M240i xDrive, another four-wheel drive weapon that's surprisingly sensible when needed. Really, the RS3's monstrous performance is more closely aligned with the upcoming BMW M2, however. 

Other options include Audi's own TT RS (less space, more grace) and lesser-but-still-quick hot hatches like the Volkswagen Golf R or a used Ford Focus RS. 

The Audi RS3's cabin feels generally solid and built to last, with enough of an upmarket feel that it doesn't feel like an interior way below the car's price point. The Nappa leather seats look and feel of high quality, while there's no noticeable creaks and rattles and plenty of soft-touch materials on upper dash and door parts.

The steering wheel also feels very pleasant to the touch, but poke around a bit and there is the odd bit of cheaper plastic that reveals this is a cabin also used in an A3 which costs half the price. However, we also don't reckon it's as nicely finished and attractively designed as the previous generation RS3, which is a pity. BMW's interiors are that bit better these days. 

We're glad to see that, given the money Audi asks for the RS3, you're not wanting for any infotainment extras. As standard there's a 10.1-inch central touchscreen which combines with a 12.3-inch digital dial display, called Virtual Cockpit.

The touchscreen is pretty responsive and has smart enough graphics, but it's not as easy to use as some competitors because you're fully reliant on jabbing the screen icons for many functions. However there is at least a physical climate control switch bank and (praise be) proper buttons on the steering wheel, plus shortcut buttons for things like the drive mode selector and traction control on toggle switches. 

If you'd prefer to not fiddle with a screen while driving there's voice control for various functions, too. It's not foolproof, but it works better than some systems. Having said that we like the BMW M240i's rotary infotainment controller and screen combination even better.

However, the Audi RS3 beats all of its competitors with the digital dial display. It remains one of the best on the market, with a crisp, clear screen, plenty of customisation and fantastic Google Maps navigation integration. 

The standard sound system does a decent enough job, but if you upgrade to the Comfort and Sound pack (or plump for the Vorsprung model) you get a deeply impressive Bang & Olufsen surround sound system to enjoy your tunes with. 

The Audi RS3 doesn't ask its passengers to compromise on space for the added pace. In fact it's one of the major appeal factors over something like a TT RS or M240i Coupe, with rear doors that open widely enough and decent head and legroom for two medium-sized adults, or three for a short trip. The RS3 Saloon has slightly less headroom due to its different roofline. 

Space is comparable to a Mercedes-AMG A45, but if you don't mind travelling quite a bit slower something like a Skoda Octavia vRS offers noticeably more space still. Up front, a pair of six-footers have plenty of space for their legs and headroom to spare, however. 

That's the good news; the bad news comes when you open up the boot lid (electrically on top-spec models). Because of the all-wheel drive system you're robbed of nearly 100 litres of space over the standard A3, with the RS3 Sportback's boot capacity of 282 litres about the same as most small cars. 

The RS3 Saloon gets more boot capacity at 321 litres, but it's still not amazing. It's a shame also because Mercedes-AMG manages to retain a 370-litre capacity in the A45, while there are much more luggage-friendly hot hatchbacks out there. 

On the upside the RS 3 has 40/20/40 split-folding seats as standard, allowing you to make the most of the back seats if one isn't occupied. Cabin storage is decent enough, with a pretty good glovebox, big door bins, some storage under the centre armrest and a couple of cupholders front and rear.

In terms of exterior dimensions the Audi RS3 Sportback is 4389mm long, 1851mm wide and 1436mm tall. The RS3 Saloon, meanwhile, is 4479mm long, the same 1851mm wide and 1412mm tall. 

There's only one engine available with the Audi RS3, and it's the familiar 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo unit that's been used by Audi for years. You'll also find it in the TT RS coupe and the RS Q3 hot SUV. 

It's more powerful than it's ever been these days, despite lots of work to make it meet tougher emissions rules. With a mighty 400PS and 500Nm of torque putting power through all four wheels it'll officially rocket from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds. We've seen that figure beaten, too. The only hotter hot hatch is the Mercedes-AMG A45 with its frankly ludicrous 421PS. 

If you're planning to head over to the Autobahn or happen to have access to an airfield, you can pay extra for Audi to remove the speed limiter. A 180mph top speed in a hatchback seems pretty mad, doesn't it?

Even if you're not doing a full-bore standing start the RS3's engine's flexibility means it feels quick in any gear and almost any revs. There is a bit of lag below 2000rpm while the big turbo wakes up, but once on song it feels extremely rapid. You'll certainly need to exercise restraint on the road.

The figures only tell part of the story, because the engine delivers character in spades. Ramp it up into the sportiest drive modes and you'll get pops and crackles when you lift off the throttle, and flooring it brings a wonderfully sonorous five-cylinder warble. It may be a bit quieter than it used to be due to the latest regulations, but we still reckon it's a better noise than any hot hatch on sale including the A45. One caveat: we've only tried examples with the RS Sport exhaust, which is optional on base trims. It's definitely a box we'd tick. 

The engine pulls strongly right to the redline, when the dual-clutch automatic gearbox selects the next gear pretty rapidly. It can sometimes be caught out if you stamp on the throttle in Comfort mode, taking a bit of time to pick a gear, but the response in Sport or RS is very good indeed. Settling down to a cruise the engine mooches along nicely and the gearbox slurs changes as well as you'd hope, too.

The beauty of the Audi RS3 is its ability to be loud and boisterous when you want it to be, but relatively serene and quiet when you're not in the mood. Take it out of the sportiest drive modes and the exhaust noise dies down, the engine and gearbox react more smoothly and it'll be perfectly refined for a long-distance cruise. 

The only real issue is road noise from those fat tyres and big wheels, but it isn't intrusive and it's something that afflicts pretty much every modern performance car. 

The Audi RS3 comes with the same array of active safety kit as the regular A3. So you get standard Front Assist, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection and lane keep assist. You don't get adaptive cruise control as standard from the base trim, however.

Another option that you may well find as standard on some rivals is Traffic Sign Recognition - it's either optional or standard on the top-spec Vorsprung model. Still, the regular Audi A3 received a five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating, with strong protection scores for both adult and child occupants. The RS3 is only less safe because you might find yourself going far faster in the event of an accident.

As a brand Audi sits mid-table for reliability in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, above Mercedes-Benz but below BMW. 

The RS3 itself didn't feature in the survey, but we've not heard of any serious reliability issues. That five-cylinder engine is well-proven, too. But beware that the dual-clutch gearbox and Haldex all-wheel drive system do both need oil changes and increase the potential for expensive things to go wrong once the warranty is over. 

Hot hatchbacks like the Audi RS3 are often bought (and promptly crashed) by over-confident young people, and are a popular target as getaway cars for thieves. That pushes insurance premiums up dramatically, particularly if you live an in area with a high crime rate.

Happily the RS3 isn't in the very highest insurance groups, starting from group 35 for the base variant and rising to group 40 for the Vorsprung model. Don't expect it to be cheap if you're under 25, however. 

The Audi RS3 puts out a fair bit of CO2 thanks to that powerful engine, so if you're looking to win the traffic light grand prix with something cheaper to run we'd check out one of the fastest electric cars. 

The first year road tax (VED) rate isn't an issue now it's not a new car, though, as the first owner will have swallowed that hefty £1420 figure for the RS3. What will be an issue is the £355-a-year additional rate for cars that cost over £40,000 - you'll need to pay this for five years after the car's first registration date. Still, after that it defaults to the £165-a-year flat rate like everything else. 

There were four Audi RS3 trim levels available across its (seemingly) short two-year lifespan.  All feature a good level of standard equipment, but quite a few options were available.

The 'entry-level' Audi RS3 comes equipped with 19-inch alloys, LED headlights, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, Nappa leather sports seats with front seat heating, the full infotainment suite and Audi's RS Monitor providing performance and temperature data. 

Stepping up to the Audi RS3 Carbon Black brings black-painted 19-inch alloys, black carbonfibre exterior detailing including the rear spoiler, side skirts and mirror housing and Matrix LED headlamps.

A limited-run Audi RS3 Launch Edition featured several upgrades including adaptive suspension, a sports exhaust, red brake callipers, a panoramic sunroof and gloss black exterior detailing. There's also a head-up display, electric front seats, the Audi Comfort and Sound Pack (including wireless phone changing and a Bang & OIufsen stereo) and an enhanced Driver Assistance pack, while the top speed is raised to 180mph. 

Finally the flagship Audi RS3 Vorsprung builds on the launch edition with a new design of black 19-inch alloys, a 360-degree camera system and an electrically operated tailgate.