Compare the2024 Honda CivicVS 2024 Audi A3

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Civic are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The A3’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Civic is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi A3, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Civic Touring/Sport Touring CVT has a standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The A3 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Civic’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Civic and the A3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A3.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 14 places higher in reliability than Audi.

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Sedan gets better mileage than the A3:

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the A3:

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The A3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Civic has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The A3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Civic stops much shorter than the A3:

For better traction, the Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A3 (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R17).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the A3 (107.7 inches vs. 103.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Civic is 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the A3.

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Audi A3.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic a Mid-size car, while the A3 is rated a Subcompact.

The Civic has 12 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A3 (99 vs. 87).

The Civic has 2.5 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the A3.

The Civic Sedan has a much larger trunk than the A3 (14.8 vs. 10.9 cubic feet).

The Civic (except Manual/LX) has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The A3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Consumer Reports rated the Civic’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the A3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Civic’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The A3’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Audi A3 isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $555 to $3080 less than the A3 over a five-year period.

The Civic will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic will retain 55.63% to 60.2% of its original price after five years, while the A3 only retains 48.11% to 50.83%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic will be $12976 to $13084 less than for the Audi A3.

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

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The A3 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Civic outsold the Audi A3/S3/RS 3 by almost 15 to one during 2023.