Compare the2026 Audi A3VS 2026 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 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Accord doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The A3 Premium Plus has a standard Top View Camera System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Accord only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The A3 has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Accord SE/Sport/EX-L/Touring offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the A3 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Assist and Automatic Brake Activation automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Accord SE/Sport/EX-L/Touring offers Cross Traffic Monitor and the Accord’s Cross Traffic Monitor does not include automatic braking.

Both the A3 and the Accord 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, 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 and rearview cameras.

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).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the A3 for 2 years and 18000 miles longer than Honda pays for maintenance for the Accord (3/30,000 vs. 1/12000).

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.

The A3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 9 more horsepower (201 vs. 192) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 192) than the Accord’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A3 is faster than the Honda Accord:

	A3	Accord turbo 4 cyl.	Accord Hybrid
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	7.9 sec	6.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	16.1 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	87.9 MPH	88.2 MPH

Both the A3 and the Accord have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All A3s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the Accord 1.5T.

The A3 has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Accord Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 12.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

	A3	Accord
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.5 inches

The A3 stops much shorter than the Accord:

	A3	Accord
70 to 0 MPH	181 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	129 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

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 LX/EX-L’s standard 50 series tires.

The A3 Premium Plus 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 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Accord Sport-L Hybrid (26.3 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the A3’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Accord’s (36.5 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The A3 is 1 foot, 6.8 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’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 has a 3461 lbs. towing capacity. The Accord has no towing capacity.

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.

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.

If the windows are left open on the A3 the driver can close all of them at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Accord can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A3 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Accord doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 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 Audi A3 and Honda Accord offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The A3 offers optional power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Accord’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The A3 has a 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. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Accord SE/Sport/EX-L/Touring.

Compared to the Honda Accord, the Audi A3 eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Compared to the Honda Accord’s traditional radio, the Audi A3 optionally equipped with SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks.

The A3’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. 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.