Compare the2024 Audi A3VS 2023 Toyota Prius

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 Prius doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A3 and Prius 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 Prius’ 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 Audi A3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Prius doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the A3 and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Prius has not been fully tested, yet.

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 Prius’ 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 Prius’ (12 vs. 5 years).

The Audi A3’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Prius’ 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 Prius isn’t in the top three in its category.

The A3’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 7 more horsepower (201 vs. 194) than the Prius’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The A3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 5 more horsepower (201 vs. 196) than the Prius’ optional 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi A3 is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the A3’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Prius doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The A3 has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The A3 has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 11.3 gallons).

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

For better traction, the A3 has larger tires than the Prius (225/45R17 vs. 195/60R17).

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 Prius LE’s standard 60 series tires. The A3’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE/Limited’s 50 series tires.

The A3 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Prius’ suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The A3 Premium Plus Quattro handles at .89 G’s, while the Prius Limited pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A3 is 4.2 inches shorter than the Prius, making the A3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The A3 has .2 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the A3. The Prius doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the A3’s available trunk can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Prius doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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

The A3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Prius 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 Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 17% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

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 Prius LE’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The A3’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 Prius doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A3 has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

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 Prius’ mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Prius offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The A3’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Prius doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the A3 and the Prius 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 Prius doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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