Where each one leads
Audi A3
- Against cars of the same age, the Audi A3 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Volkswagen Jetta (passes 2% more often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Audi A3 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 21% less often than average) than the Volkswagen Jetta (fails 21% more often than average).
- Fewer Audi A3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.2% against 5.8%).
- New Audi A3 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 105 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 191 for the Volkswagen Jetta in 2022.
Volkswagen Jetta
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Volkswagen Jetta uses 7.2 l/100 km, the 2026 Audi A3 8.5.
Too close to call: NHTSA overall safety rating.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Audi A3 | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1997–2026 | 1981–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 1,602,788 (2010–2022) | 102,461 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 452,615 | 14,157 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 86,151 | 6,692 |
| In traffic in Finland | 22,290 | 8,442 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Audi A3 | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 75% | 65% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | +2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | −21% | +21% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.2% | 5.8% |
| US owner complaints | 734 | 10,008 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (123) | 2009 (889) |
| US recall campaigns | 20 | 79 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 10,205 | 16,883 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 16 | 91 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Audi A3 | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2020) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi A3 | Volkswagen Jetta | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.5 l/100 km (2026) | 7.2 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 5.6 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 6.6 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.7 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 105 g/km | 191 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 102 kW (137 hp) | 127 kW (170 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,464 kg | 1,438 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €38,051 | €29,228 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 186,000 km | 222,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).