2024
Manual
49.6 mpg
Tax: £190
Mileage: 5
Petrol
Tax: n/a
Mileage: 8
Semi-Auto
235.4 mpg
Tax: £180
Mileage: 10
Hybrid
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55.4 mpg
Diesel
50.4 mpg
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It'll be interesting to see how long the Plug-in Hybrid era lasts. Some European governments say they're already looking to ban cars like these by 2035 - which seems a bit premature, particularly as PHEV tech is now really getting into gear. To an extent showcased in the premium compact hatch segment by this car, the Audi A3 Sportback 40 TFSI e. Audi's been offering a Plug-in Hybrid version of the A3 since it launched the A3 e-tron, back in 2016, always with the Sportback body style. The 'e-tron' badge is these days reserved for the brand's full-EVs and was removed from the A3 PHEV in 2020 when the MK4 A3 design arrived in 40 TFSI e Plug-in Hybrid form. Four years on, to coincide with the fourth generation A3 facelift, the PHEV drivetrain gained a much larger battery and an uprated 1.5-litre engine to create the car we're going to look at here.
Although the headline numbers of 941.6mpg, 6g/km of CO2, 88 miles of EV range and a 0-62mph time of just 7.4 seconds make the Audi A3 40 TFSI e appear quite a game-changer, look behind the numbers and you'll find things not quite so clear cut. In fact, a counter perspective might well be that you're paying around £4,000 over the top of an A3 Sportback 35 TDI 150PS diesel and getting a car that's slower, drinks more fuel, carries less luggage, offers inferior touring range and once out of charge will drink much more fuel. Of course, the A3 40 TFSI e has other benefits. It can run in a pure EV mode and it feels a far more special piece of kit than a diesel hatch. Can you put a price on that? You can perhaps if you measure the savings you'll make in company car tax. And this model certainly scores as a car you can drive as an EV on short commutes to work, but which is capable of long weekend trips. As a technical showpiece, it's an intriguing thing. As a sales proposition though, you might need to scour the small print quite carefully.
Borrow £6,000 with £1,000 deposit over 48 months with a representative APR of 18.1%, monthly payment would be £172.36, with a total cost of credit of £2,273.28 and a total amount payable of £9,273.28.