Audi S3
The Audi S3 is an estate car produced from 1999 onwards, powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 198 kW and capable of reaching 247 km/h. It accommodates five occupants and weighs 1,535 kg, with CO₂ emissions of 186 g/km. In Norway, new registrations of the S3 estate were limited, totalling just 9 vehicles between 2020 and 2022, with peak registrations of 6 units occurring in 2021.
| Manufacturer | Audi |
|---|---|
| Production | From 1999 |
| Body type | Estate |
| Fuel | Petrol |
| Kerb weight | 1,414 kg |
| Displacement | 1,924 cc |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Top speed | 247 km/h |
| Drivetrain | All-wheel drive |
| Fuel economy (comb.) | 9.2 l/100 km |
| Length | 4,286 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,781 mm |
| Height | 1,396 mm |
| Seats | 5 |
| Doors | 2 |
New registrations in Norway
Number of Audi S3 registered for the first time in Norway per year.
Source: EEA CO₂ monitoring (CC BY 4.0).
New registrations by country (2025)
Number of Audi S3 cars registered for the first time across 25 European countries in 2025.
| Country | Registrations |
|---|---|
| Germany | 4,146 |
| United Kingdom | 1,574 |
| Italy | 570 |
| Poland | 266 |
| Spain | 91 |
| Slovakia | 56 |
| Romania | 42 |
| Luxembourg | 37 |
| Belgium | 37 |
| Hungary | 36 |
| Greece | 30 |
| Austria | 29 |
| Czechia | 25 |
| Ireland | 24 |
| Slovenia | 18 |
Source: EEA CO₂ monitoring (CC BY 4.0), 2025 data.
Engine variants
Different engine versions of the Audi S3 (from registration data). 2 variants.
| Engine | Fuel | Transmission | Top speed | Economy | Model year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 l · 4-cyl | Petrol | Automatic | – | 9.3 l/100 km | 2015–2017 |
| 2.0 l · 4-cyl | Petrol | Automatic | – | 9.1 l/100 km | 2018–2026 |
Source: EPA (US). Fuel economy converted to l/100 km.
Other Audi models
Similar Estate models
Common problems & reliability
US owners have filed 19 complaints for the Audi S3, most often about air bags, power train, unknown or other, visibility/wiper. These are owner-reported issues, useful for spotting recurring weaknesses before you buy. In the UK, 81% of Audi S3s pass their MOT test first time, based on 3,502 inspections in 2023. (2023 is the most recent annual release published by the DfT.)
Based on real owner complaints and inspection data — not an editorial rating. Sources: NHTSA (US, public domain), DVSA MOT (UK, Open Government Licence).
Recalls & safety
10 in the US-market NHTSA database, which may not apply to European versions for the Audi S3. Recalls can flag known weaknesses of the model.
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERUS · NHTSAModel year 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · reported 22/03/2021
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERUS · NHTSAModel year 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · reported 22/03/2021
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERUS · NHTSAModel year 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · reported 22/03/2021
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERUS · NHTSAModel year 2017
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · reported 22/03/2021
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONUS · NHTSAModel year 2017
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Audi A3 and S3 Sedan vehicles. In a lower-speed crash situation, the air bag control unit software may deploy the passenger frontal air bag improperly if the front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with the seat reclined. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q3.
NHTSA campaign 17V196000 · reported 22/03/2017
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERUS · NHTSAModel year 2016
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · reported 22/03/2021
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONUS · NHTSAModel year 2016
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.
NHTSA campaign 19V474000 · reported 19/06/2019
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEUS · NHTSAModel year 2016
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69DY and 61C1.
NHTSA campaign 22V543000 · reported 27/07/2022
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONUS · NHTSAModel year 2015
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.
NHTSA campaign 19V474000 · reported 19/06/2019
- AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGERUS · NHTSAModel year 2015
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · reported 22/03/2021
Sources: EU Safety Gate (European market) and NHTSA (US market). See all Audi recalls.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the top speed of the Audi S3?
- The Audi S3 has a rated top speed of 247 km/h.
- What are the dimensions of the Audi S3?
- The Audi S3 is 4,286 mm long, 1,781 mm wide and 1,396 mm tall.
- How much does the Audi S3 weigh?
- The Audi S3 has a kerb weight of about 1,414 kg.
- How many seats does the Audi S3 have?
- The Audi S3 has 5 seats.