Audi Q3 Sportback Review 2025

Based on the third-generation Audi Q3 SUV, the slinkier Audi Q3 Sportback is very similar to its sibling, but with a greater emphasis on style that comes at a cost to both practicality and your wallet. Is it worth having over the regular Q3? Find out with our full Audi Q3 Sportback review. 

A whole year passed between the previous-generation Audi Q3 arriving and its Audi Q3 Sportback equivalent arriving on the scene, but with the latest model they are only weeks between them. Great news if you're impatient and particularly want your Q3 with coupe-esque styling. 

This comes in the form of a sloping roofline intended to make the Q3 Sportback look snazzier, although there is a practicality cost, with both rear headroom and total boot capacity taking a hit. There's also a cost to your bank balance as the more athletic shape costs £1500 more than the Q3 SUV across the board. 

Only you can decide if the styling is worth the additional outlay and practicality compromises, but to our eyes, the SUV has better proportions. But hey, we won't judge if the Sportback is your bag. 

Aside from those aspects plus the inclusion of Progressive Steering as standard, the Audi Q3 Sportback is no different from its SUV sibling. That means you get the same plus points, including its kerb appeal and great range of engines. 

Most buyers are expected to go for the TFSI 150PS petrol and we can see why. It's the cheapest option but more than powerful enough for most people's needs. The pair of 2.0-litre petrol quattros are quick, but thirsty and pricey, and although we applaud Audi for giving a diesel option with the TDI 150PS, its appeal is likely to be limited. Finally, the e-hybrid 272PS PHEV will be a tempting proposition for company car drivers, and could cut commuting costs thanks to a handy electric-only range of up to 72 miles. 

Unfortunately, the Audi Q3 Sportback comes with all the Q3 SUV's foibles as well. One of those is the ride, which is firmer than it needs to be. We'd happily take a smidge more body roll if the Q3 Sportback were just a bit more comfortable.

Its interior is also disappointing. While screwed together just fine, there are too many cheaper-feeling materials. There's also a sense of Audi trying to be new for the sake of its with the controls which replace traditional indicator and wiper stalks. 

That the Audi Q3 Sportback has a few less-good aspects could be an issue, because it has no shortage of rivals. Being so similar to the Q3 SUV, all of that car's rivals apply here. These include the Mercedes GLA, the Range Rover Evoque and the Volvo XC40.

Competition from coupe-bodied SUVs is thinner on the ground as there aren't many of this size. The only obvious Audi alternative is the BMW X2.

The Audi Q3 SUV is already at the more expensive end of that lot, so slapping an extra £1500 on top makes for a particularly pricey car, especially considering that it's far from perfect.

You'd think the Audi Q3 Sportback would drive exactly like the SUV, but that's not necessarily the case. Progressive Steering, which is optional on most versions of the regular Q3 comes standard on the Sportback. This gives a tighter steering ratio, meaning the more you turn the wheel the faster the steering angle changes, making for a quick-steering car. It can take a while to get used to. 

Aside from the steering, the Audi Q3 Sportback is no different from the SUV. That's to say it's too firm for its own good. It's not excessively harsh, but the ride never quite seems to settle. The big wheels thump over bigger imperfections causing quite a racket, while also generating a lot of tyre noise at cruising speeds. At least isolation from wind noise is decent. 

The benefit of a relatively stiff setup is that the Q3 Sportback corners relatively flatly, with little body roll and a confidence-inspiring feeling of stability. There's plenty of grip and lots of traction in most of the front-wheel drive models, so upgrading to one of the quattro-equipped models doesn't seem necessary, impressively capable though they are in the wet. 

We say most of the front-wheel drive models because the e-hybrid is putting a lot of power through just its front tyres, so it's easy to make them scrabble around excitedly even if you're not putting your foot down especially hard.

All engines that are available in the regular Q3 SUV are also available in the Audi Q3 Sportback. If you're after a petrol engine, that means the choice of three four-cylinder units — a 1.5-litre and two 2.0-litre versions.

The 1.5-litre is badged TFSI 150PS and produces 250Nm of torque, which sees it dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in a perfectly adequate 9.1 seconds. While not breathtakingly fast, it'll be fine for most — this is expected to be the popular choice. It's smooth and refined so long as you're not thrashing it, at which point things do get a bit noisy.

The 2.0-litre is available with two different levels of power, and both come with four-wheel drive as standard — all other engine options are exclusively front-wheel drive. The TFSI 204PS quattro version produces 350Nm, which enables a 0-62mph time of 6.1 seconds, but if you want to go faster still, the TFSI 265PS quattro has 400Nm will perform the same benchmark in just 5.7 seconds.

The latter of these is impressively quick, making the Q3 Sportback feel a bit like a hot hatch on stilts. It even makes a pretty good noise, but it's not what you'd call economical or cheap to buy. 

The only diesel option is the TDI 150PS which develops 360Nm from its 2.0-litre capacity. It's the slowest of the Q3 Sportbacks with a 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds, but a good helping of mid-range torque means you don't have to work it too hard to make good progress. Refinement is reasonably enough as far as modern diesels go.

Finally, there's the Audi Q3 Sportback e-hybrid 272PS. This is a plug-in hybrid combining the 1.5-litre petrol engine mentioned earlier with an electric motor, supplied with energy by a 19.7kWh net capacity battery pack. That's nearly double the size of the battery in the last Q3 PHEV, so the electric range is far more impressive this time around. 

All those cells add up to a hefty weight penalty, however, so although the e-hybrid has the same torque output as the TFSI 265PS quattro, it's a bit slower, hitting 62mph from a standstill in 6.8 seconds. It certainly feels quick, although there's an annoying delay between putting your foot down and the system working out what it wants to do. When driven more gently, the transitions between the power sources are pretty smooth. 

Previously, you could order the 400PS Audi RS Q3 Sportback. Whether or not there'll be a new one is unclear, but should such a thing emerge, we'd be surprised if it would still get Audi's five-cylinder engine, which we're expecting to soon go out of production. 

The latest Audi Q3 has yet to be tested by Euro NCAP plus the safety body won't specifically test the Sportback as it's structurally identical, but we'd be surprised to see it come away with anything other than the full five-star rating. It's been a few years since an Audi model was rated as anything less. 

Beyond speculation about its crash test performance, there's also a broad array of driving assistance systems that will hopefully make having an accident in the first place much less likely. Active Front Assist provides 'evasion and turning assistance' when necessary, plus there's a driver attention monitor, lane assistance assist, traffic sign recognition and a 360-degree parking camera. An upgraded driving assistance system which can help you change lanes comes with the Enhanced Driving Comfort pack. 

The Audi Q3 Sportback's towing capacity matches that of the Q3 SUVs.

That means braked towing limits of 1400kg for the e-hybrid 272PS, 1800kg for the TFSI 150PS, 2000kg for both the TDI 150PS and the TFSI 204PS quattro, reaching 2100kg for the range-topping TFSI 265PS quattro.

The Audi Q3 Sportback offers 488 litres of boot space with its sliding rear bench pushed all the way back and reclined as far as it'll go, or 575 litres if positioned all the way forward and with the backrest in its most upright setting. Those figures are no different from the Q3 SUV, but things get a little different when the rear seat bench is folded. 

This is because the usual measurement is taken up to the roof, at which point the Audi Q3 Sportback's more heavily raked rear windscreen gets in the way. It manages 1289 litres, compared with 1386 litres in the Q3 SUV. A fair difference, but probably nothing to be worried about unless you end up transporting something very large and very boxy. 

The Q3 Sportback e-hybrid isn't quite as roomy due to the packaging of its battery pack, effectively pushing up the level of the boot floor. It only manages 375 litres of boot space, or 1196 litres with the rear seat bench folded.

Although the Q3 Sportback has lost a bit of boot space relative to its predecessor, which could manage 530-675 litres depending on where its rear seat was positioned, it has gained a little bit of space in its lidded storage area in the centre console, made possible by the gear selector shifting to the right-hand side of the  new steering column controls.

The left-hand side of this features the indicator and wiper controls, replacing traditional stalks. We're not keen, though — the indicator portion doesn't sit in a natural-feeling place and using a dial for the wipers is downright odd. It seems like the solution to a problem that didn't exist, but regardless, we can expect this device to make its way to more Audi models in future. 

We expect more from this brand in terms of interior quality than what's inside the Audi Q3 Sportback. Yes, it's stylish and minimalistic, but certain elements feel cheap. The metal-effect dashboard trim, for instance — a wood veneer alternative is available and looks far better — as well as the lower sections of the dashboard, which is made from a very hard plastic. 

Other parts are better, with a pleasant-feeling soft-touch upper section of the dashboard and fabric inlays for the door trims. Although the overall mix of materials is underwhelming, everything seems to be put together properly.

All versions of the Audi Q3 Sportback have a curved display panel containing an 11.8-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen.

That sounds like there isn't a great deal of size difference between the two, but the instrument cluster is in an ultra-widescreen format, meaning you get loads of black space around it, which looks naff. Also, because of the lack of screen real estate, displaying the navigation system's map isn't exactly useful. 

The infotainment portion responds well to touch and runs on Google Automotive OS, so it's possible to download compatible apps, such as Google Maps, rather than having to stream them from your phone using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

While not quite as good as some of the apps you could download, the in-built navigation works well. The menu system is perfectly logical, but there's a heavy emphasis on grey on both displays. We'd have preferred a bit of colour.

The Sound & Vision pack includes a 420-watt, 12-speaker Sonos surround system. It's a good setup but you don't hear the benefit so much when using the DAB radio, the tuner for which gives a mediocre sound quality. 

The Audi Q3 Sportback range is £1500 more than the equivalent SUV models across the board. That makes for a range costing anything from £39,800 to £53,950. 

The TFSI 150PS costs from £39,800 to £46,150, depending on if you choose Sport, S Line or Edition 1 trim, while the TFSI 204PS quattro costs from £43,500 to £49,850.

The TFSI 265PS quattro is £50,400 as an S Line or £53,950 as an Edition 1 — you can't have it as a Sport. The diesel TDI 150PS is £41,500 to £47,850, while the e-hybrid 272PS costs from £47,300 to £50,100.

Even before you bump the prices up to the Sportback level, the Q3 looks pricey. Paying more for a less practical version which doesn't really look all that different doesn't exactly make the Q3 Sportback look like a value proposition.

The Volvo XC40 starts at just under £37,000, while the Mercedes GLA is even less. The Q3 Sportback looks more competitive against the BMW X2, which starts from £43,255. 

Interestingly, the fuel efficiency figures for the Audi Q3 Sportback e-hybrid are the only ones that don't match those of the regular Q3 — it's 156.9mpg, down from a best of 161.9mpg. Both figures are worth ignoring, anyway — what you'll actually achieve will vary wildly depending on how you use its 72-mile electric-only range. 

The TDI 150PS diesel should prove economical however it's driven and according to the official figure, it can achieve up to 52.3mpg. The TFSI 150PS petrol is 46.3mpg, though, so if you want decent economy, you don't have to get the diesel or the PHEV.

The all-wheel drive-only 2.0-litre models are unsurprisingly a lot thirstier. You're looking at 36.2mpg for the TFSI 204PS quattro version and just 33.2mpg for the TFSI 265PS quattro. 

All versions cost £195 annually to tax, with the token £10 discount for lower CO2 emission cars ditched from April 2025. The entry-level TFSI 150PS Sport is the only version to escape the £425 a year Expensive Car Supplement — known by some as the premium car tax — but it's so close to the threshold that merely coughing on the configurator will be enough to push you over. 

The Audi Q3 Sportback gets the same three trim levels as the Q3 SUV — Sport, S Line and Edition 1. As is the case with its sibling, the TFSI 265PS quattro can't be combined with Sport specification. 

The Audi Q3 Sport includes:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED front and rear lights
• Heated and electrically adjustable/folding mirrors with auto-dimming
• 12-8-inch infotainment touchscreen 
• 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster
• Wireless smartphone charging
• Interior ambient lighting 
• Leather steering wheel
• Tri-zone climate control

The Audi Q3 S Line adds the following equipment: 

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Upgraded LED light clusters with selectable light signatures
• Illuminated rear Audi logo
• Half-leather/half-synthetic leather interior
• Flat-bottomed steering wheel
• Enhanced interior ambient lighting

The Audi Q3 Edition 1 trim adds: 

• 20-inch alloy wheels 
• Black exterior styling features
• Matrix LED headlights
• Heated steering wheel
• Microfibre upholstery 
• Additional safety equipment