Compare the2024 Audi A3VS 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia

The A3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Giulia doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi A3 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Alfa Romeo Giulia doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the A3 and Giulia have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A3 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Giulia’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The A3 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Giulia doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the A3 and Giulia offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A3 with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Giulia’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the A3 and the Giulia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A3 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Giulia has not been fully tested, yet.

The A3’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Giulia’s (12 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Audi dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the A3’s warranty.

The Audi A3’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Giulia’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A3’s reliability 20 points higher than the Giulia.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the A3 first among small premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Giulia isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Alfa Romeo.

On the EPA test cycle the A3 gets better mileage than the Giulia:

Regenerative brakes improve the A3’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Giulia doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi A3 higher (7 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Giulia (5). This means the A3 produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Giulia every 15,000 miles.

The A3 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Giulia doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A3 stops much shorter than the Giulia:

The A3’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Giulia’s standard 50 series tires.

The A3 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Giulia; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

The A3 Premium Plus Quattro handles at .89 G’s, while the Giulia Ti Q4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A3 Premium Plus Quattro executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Giulia Ti (26.3 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.1 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The A3 is 5.6 inches shorter than the Giulia, making the A3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the A3 has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Giulia doesn’t offer a power trunk.

The A3 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Giulia has no towing capacity.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Alfa Romeo. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 64% lower rating, Alfa Romeo is ranked 32nd.

If the windows are left open on the A3 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Giulia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A3 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Giulia doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the A3 with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Giulia’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The A3’s optional Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Giulia doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Insurance will cost less for the A3 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the A3 will cost $2650 to $7745 less than the Giulia over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi A3 will be $12366 to $20161 less than for the Alfa Romeo Giulia.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A3, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Giulia isn't recommended.

The Audi A3/S3/RS 3 outsold the Alfa Romeo Giulia by almost two to one during 2022.