Where each one leads
Audi RS 3
- Against cars of the same year, the Audi RS 3 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 44% less often than average) than the Nissan Maxima (fails 7% less often than average).
Nissan Maxima
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2023 Nissan Maxima uses 9.9 l/100 km, the 2026 Audi RS 3 10.3.
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 RS 3 | Nissan Maxima | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2017–2026 | 1981–2023 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 23,891 (2012–2022) | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 1,533 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 125 | 843 |
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 RS 3 | Nissan Maxima | |
|---|---|---|
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| … against cars of the same year | −44% | −7% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 8.9% | — |
| US owner complaints | 22 | 6,958 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2018 (13) | 2004 (1,426) |
| US recall campaigns | 7 | 27 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 2,940 | 3,082 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 3 | 30 |
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 RS 3 | Nissan Maxima | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2023) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi RS 3 | Nissan Maxima | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.3 l/100 km (2026) | 9.9 l/100 km (2023) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 11.1 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 206 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 294 kW (394 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,646 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €98,675 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 96,000 km | 266,000 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).