Compare the2026 Audi A3VS 2026 Mazda 3

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 Mazda 3 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A3 and Mazda 3 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 Mazda 3’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.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Audi A3 achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Mazda 3, which scored only an “Acceptable” in these critical safety features.

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 Mazda 3 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A3. But it costs extra on the Mazda 3.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the A3 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Assist with Automatic Brake Activation, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus offers Rear Cross Traffic Braking.

Both the A3 and the Mazda 3 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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 3’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 Mazda 3’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the A3 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Audi will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the 3.

The Audi A3’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Mazda 3’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 1 place higher in reliability than Mazda.

The A3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 15 more horsepower (201 vs. 186) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 186) than the Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A3 is faster than the Mazda 3 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	A3	3
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	87.7 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the A3 gets better fuel mileage than the Mazda 3 Sedan 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder (24 city/34 hwy vs. 23 city/32 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the A3 gets better fuel mileage than the Mazda 3 Hatchback 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder (24 city/34 hwy vs. 23 city/31 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the A3’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the A3’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The A3 has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Mazda 3 AWD’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The A3 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Mazda 3 FWD’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi A3 higher (6 out of 10) than the Mazda 3 (4 to 6). This means the A3 produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Mazda 3 every 15,000 miles.

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Audi A3, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Mazda 3.

The A3 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an SMG.

For better stopping power the A3’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Mazda 3:

	A3	Mazda 3	Mazda 3 AWD
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.02 inches	11.61 inches
Rear Rotors	10.7 inches	10.43 inches	10.43 inches

The A3 stops shorter than the Mazda 3:

	A3	Mazda 3
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	125 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	129 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the A3 has larger tires than the Mazda 3 (225/45R17 vs. 205/60R16). The A3’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mazda 3 (225/45R17 vs. 215/45R18).

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 Mazda 3 S’ standard 60 series tires. The A3’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A3 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Mazda 3 S.

For superior ride and handling, the Audi A3 has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda 3 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The A3 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the A3 flat and controlled during cornering. The Mazda 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The A3 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The A3 Premium Plus handles at .89 G’s, while the Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A3 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Mazda 3 Carbon Edition Sedan AWD (26.3 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

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 Mazda 3’s useful trunk space (except wagon).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the A3. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the A3’s available trunk can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The A3 has a 3461 lbs. towing capacity. The Mazda 3 has no towing capacity.

The A3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Mazda 3 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 Mazda 3 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 Mazda 3 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 Mazda 3 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 Mazda 3 S’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Mazda 3 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the A3’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the Mazda 3’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

The A3’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium.

Both the Audi A3 and Mazda 3 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 Mazda 3’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 Mazda 3 Select Sport/Preferred/Carbon/Premium.

Both the A3 and the Mazda 3 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the A3 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A3 and the Mazda 3, based on reliability, safety and performance.