Compare the2024 Audi A3VS 2022 Honda Accord

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 Accord doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A3 and Accord 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 Accord’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 Accord 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.

The A3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Accord doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the A3 and Accord 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 Accord’s Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the A3 and the Accord have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

The A3 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Accord’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

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

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

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

The A3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 9 more horsepower (201 vs. 192) and 29 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 192) than the Accord’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi A3 is faster than the Honda Accord 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

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

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

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 Accord doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the A3’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Accord:

The A3 stops much shorter than the Accord:

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 Accord’s standard 50 series tires.

The A3 Premium Plus Quattro handles at .89 G’s, while the Accord pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A3 Premium Plus Quattro executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Accord (26.3 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the A3’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Accord LX/EX-L’s (36.4 feet vs. 38.2 feet). The A3’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Accord 2.0T’s (36.4 feet vs. 39.6 feet).

The A3 is 1 foot, 7.2 inches shorter than the Accord, making the A3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the A3’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Accord’s useful trunk space.

The A3’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Accord LX’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

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 Accord doesn’t offer a power trunk.

The A3’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Accord’s (3500 vs. 0 pounds).

The A3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Accord uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 30% lower rating, Honda is ranked 25th.

The power windows standard on both the A3 and the Accord have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the A3 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Accord prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The A3’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Accord’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The A3’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Accord’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Accord doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A3’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Accord Sport 2.0T/Sport SE/EX-L/Touring.

The A3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Accord offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the A3 and the Accord offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the A3 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Accord doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Accord doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A3 and the Honda Accord, based on reliability, safety and performance.