Where each one leads
Audi Q3
- Against cars of the same year, the Audi Q3 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 48% less often than average) than the Buick Encore (fails 2% more often than average).
Buick Encore
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2022 Buick Encore uses 8.6 l/100 km, the 2026 Audi Q3 9.6.
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 Q3 | Buick Encore | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2008–2026 | 2013–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 837,215 (2011–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 173,665 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 31,753 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 3,944 | — |
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 Q3 | Buick Encore | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 84% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +7% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.5% | 1.6% |
| … against cars of the same year | −48% | +2% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.7% | — |
| US owner complaints | 242 | 604 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2020 (66) | 2015 (124) |
| US recall campaigns | 19 | 13 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 6,488 | 10,133 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 1 |
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 Q3 | Buick Encore | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2025) | 5★ (2022) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi Q3 | Buick Encore | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.6 l/100 km (2026) | 8.6 l/100 km (2022) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.7 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 8.2 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.8 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 123 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 115 kW (154 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,691 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €58,246 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 144,000 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).