What’s not?
- While the A3 e-tron’s OTR price is £29,950 (including £5000 government plug-in grant), the company car P11D value remains at £34,895…
- Extra weight and cost over ‘conventional’ A3 1.4-litre Sportback
- Deterioration in luggage capacity (100 litres) due to rear battery pack, with suitcase for power lead also taking up valuable rear space.
- Official 176 mpg rating completely unrealistic for everyday driving
- Design could have been made to look more distinctive?
Verdict
No doubt about it, the Audi A3 e-tron is an important car, giving further credibility to the electric/green movement.
It’s well in sync with the growing industry move into electric cars, but with a plus: there’s no range anxiety to worry about. It’s as well finished and to a quality as you’d expect from Audi also swift, refined and surprisingly normal to drive.
Maybe the design could have done with a bit more pizzazz to differentiate it from the rest of the range. A BMW i3, a key rival, cuts more of a visual dash. Against that, it’s the well established A3 Sportback shape and a practical car day to day, despite the minor loss of some boot space.
The standard A3 is a very complete product, but this e-tron truly moves the game on in terms of fuel saving and emissions. And while there’s a clear price premium, a glance at the ultra low company car taxes and economy suggests the A3 e-tron could soon take its place as a highly effective new style of company car.
