The 2022 Q3's compact dimensions and fastback roofline drastically reduce the available space inside compared to other crossover SUVs. But pleasing performance, exceptional fit and finish, and standard all-wheel drive make it a lot easier to overlook the lack of space.
Part of the second Q3 generation introduced for 2019
What is the Q3?
The Q3 has been a smart way to get behind the wheel of an Audi without blowing up your budget. It combines most of the goodness of the larger Q5 SUV — similar tech, convenience and safety features — in a smaller and less expensive luxury package.
The 2022 Audi Q3 comes with feature upgrades that should help it keep pace with its BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA rivals. Audi's latest infotainment system, MIB 3, comes standard and promises faster response times, expanded satellite radio content, a subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices, and more nuanced voice command controls.
Blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and front and rear parking sensors now come standard. Previously these were only available in the optional Convenience package. For 2022, the Q3's Convenience package adds memory functions for the power-adjustable driver's seat and side mirrors. The Q3 also gets some fresh style options, such as an aluminum interior trim package and new natural wood inlays for the Premium trim level. Finally, the top Premium Plus trim now offers a 360-degree camera view.
The rest of the Q3 is pretty much unchanged. You'll like that it's roomy for its size and has a smooth and quiet ride on the highway.
Edmunds says
With its handful of updates for 2022, the Q3 should remain a compelling choice among the luxury subcompact SUVs.
The 2022 Audi Q3 has a 4 years / 50,000 miles basic warranty and 5 recalls. RepairPal gives it a reliability rating of 3.5 out of 5, ranks it #13 out of 18 among Luxury Compact SUVs. Below you’ll find our owner reviews.
Reliability Rating by RepairPal
3.5 out of 5 stars3.5/5Above Average
#13 out of 18 among Luxury Compact SUVs
RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.
Cost
$625/yr
vs. $559/yr for Average Luxury Compact SUV
Frequency
1.66x/yr
vs. 1.23x/yr for Average Luxury Compact SUV
Severity
9.5%
vs. 8.6% for Average Luxury Compact SUV
powered by RepairPal
Recalls
5 recalls found
Checking if a car has a recall is simple. Just type the car's VIN number into the NHTSA website (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). If there's an unrepaired recall, you'll see it there.
If a recall shows up, just call your local car dealer. They'll know about the recall and will work with the car maker to fix it for free (if the recall happened within 10 years of the car being first sold).
Recall Number:
22V806000
Manufacturer Recall Number:
91Ei
Number of vehicles affected:
6076
Defect Description:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 AUDI A8, A6 Allroad, E-TRON Quattro, 2022 S3, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 Avant, Q8, Q7, Q3, E-TRON Sportback Quattro, S5 Cabriolet, E-TRON GT, S5 Sportback, A7, A6, A5 Sportback, A5 Cabriolet, A4, A4 Allroad, A3, S8, SQ7, SQ8, S6, and S4 vehicles. The infotainment main unit may become damaged internally when the vehicle is shut off, resulting in an inoperative rearview camera display the next time the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Defect Consequence:
An inoperative rearview camera display reduces the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective Action:
Dealers will replace the infotainment main unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91Ei.
Recall Number:
22V701000
Manufacturer Recall Number:
64H4
Number of vehicles affected:
4
Defect Description:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi Q3 vehicles. A window manufacturing error may allow the rear window to crack or break.
Defect Consequence:
A broken rear window may result in loose pieces of glass and increase the risk of injury.
Corrective Action:
Dealers will check the manufacturing date of the vehicle's rear window and replace it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 11, 2022. Owners may contact Audi 's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 64H4.
Recall Number:
22V673000
Manufacturer Recall Number:
20DS
Number of vehicles affected:
13004
Defect Description:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Audi Q3 vehicles. The vent pipe within the fuel tank may have been damaged during fuel tank assembly.
Defect Consequence:
A damaged vent pipe may allow fuel to spill out of the filler neck when the fuel cap is opened, increasing the risk of an injury.
Corrective Action:
Dealers will inspect the internal vent pipe for damage and replace the charcoal canister and the fuel tank, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 1, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20DS.
Recall Number:
22V064000
Manufacturer Recall Number:
91DF
Number of vehicles affected:
665
Defect Description:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022 Audi Q3 vehicles that failed to receive the software update under Recall 21V-825 (91CR). A software error may prevent the rearview image from initially displaying when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Defect Consequence:
A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective Action:
Dealers will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91DF.
Recall Number:
21V825000
Manufacturer Recall Number:
91CR
Number of vehicles affected:
2857
Defect Description:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8 and S8, 2022 Audi A5 Sportback, A4 Sedan, E-Tron GT, Q3, Q5, RS6 Avant, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RSQ8, SQ7, SQ8, and S3 Sedan vehicles. A software error may prevent the rear-view image from initially displaying when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Defect Consequence:
A rear-view camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective Action:
Dealers will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 9, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91CR.
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
This is my second Audi Q3, the first being a 2015. I've had many different luxury vehicles, but this car I'm keeping forever. Love the look, comfort, but most importantly the smooth ride, visibility and safe feeling I get whenever I'm driving it. The trunk holds a lot for a small SUV, the car fits in any parking space imaginable and the highway pick up while entering an 'on' ramp with … trucks coming is second to none.
Value Value Value
5 out of 5 stars
GG, 01/20/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
Overall I love this car. My favorite features in my 2021 Premium Plus include, 360 degree camera, Upgraded sport seats, kick to open trunk, wireless phone charger, wireless Apple Car Play, integrated infotainment screen, and keyless entry and locking. I test drove the Q3, Q5, X1, X3, C300, Macan, and the Evoque. The Audi Q3 was my favorite and having the lower base price, I was able to … add many upgrades that I would not have been able to afford on the other brands. Some of my upgrades included the Black Optic package which allows you to get the Sport seats! They are beautiful and look amazing! I also included the Navigation/Technology package, Audi beam rings, 20" rims, and several others. I love being able to drive a fully loaded car instead of a base model Evoque or Macan. If you have the extra room in your budget to deck out those cars then go ahead they are beautiful! But i was very unimpressed with the base trims on both of those cars. My only complaint so far has been the poor charging quality of the wireless charger. It makes my iphone very warm, almost hot to the touch, and charges very slowly.. On a 20 minute drive I can get about 4% of charge on my iPhone 12 mini. I brought the car in to Audi to be inspected and they gave me a BS answer and told me it was working the way it should. Despite this, I would 100% recommend this car and I believe it really is the best bang for your buck.
Definite bang for the buck – with some caveats
5 out of 5 stars
JMK in TX, 04/07/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
We were specifically looking for a small SUV that looks good, is a reasonably recent design, and has ample features at a reasonable price. The "looking good" part disqualified both of the Benzes Edmunds has ranked higher among subcompact SUVs, and "recent design" disqualified the increasingly ancient Lexus NX. After comparing it to the X1 & RDX, we decided the Q3 was easily the best … all-around package. My biggest complaint is how scarce they are! (or at least the S-line Premium Plus 45) We live in Austin and I checked inventory levels at literally every Audi dealer in Texas; only one of them had more than 7 in stock!
I'll mention right off the bat that Edmunds' review omits a rather pertinent detail: many of the Q3s sitting on dealer lots are Q3 40s, not Q3 45s, and for good reason. I didn't even notice it myself until after we test-drove one, but the 40s (in both Premium & Premium Plus guise) have a significantly less powerful engine: a mere 184 hp and a frankly slow-as-molasses 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds. The 45s cost $2K more either way, and I *strongly* recommend them! (Btw here's the easy way to instantly tell which is which: all of the S-line models have the larger engine.)
I still have my 2016 S3, and the differences in technology between the two are amazing. The Q3 has a touchscreen interface for the latest version of its MMI system, and for the most part it's quite intuitive to use – along with having almost iPhone-level screen quality. (My S3, meanwhile, has a pop-up non-touchscreen with graphics in all of 16 colors.) I was extremely impressed with its adaptive cruise system along with its lane-keeping assistance; while it's not quite at autonomous-vehicle level, using both is extremely handy on long, monotonous drives.
Still, as some others have pointed out, its lack of certain features is curious, to say the least. Apple CarPlay only works wirelessly if you opt for the Technology Package. It has no memory settings for the seats (even the 2010 RDX we traded in had that!); no steering-wheel warmer; and heated, but not cooled, seats – and in Texas we need the latter far more than the former. While its Active Cockpit feature gives you a 3-D view of the road ahead via built-in Google Maps, you can use your phone's native navigation on the center screen, so we definitely wanted to skip that part.
Just IMO both of the smaller wheel packages look dinky, so we opted for the 20-inch rims, as well as the parking assistance package. We *really* wanted the Black Optic package as well – I have it on my S3 – but there were none, period, *anywhere* in the state except in the brashest exterior colors (orange & blue), and we already knew we wanted a gray one.
On whole, however, it's a thoroughly modern car that's surprisingly fun to drive – much more so than the first-gen Q3 we looked at a few years back. I only wish they'd introduce an SQ3 model in the US! (We get the SQ5 & SQ7, but for some reason Audi only sells the SQ3 outside the US.)
Fuel economy
4 out of 5 stars
Bob C, 05/11/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus 4dr SUV AWD w/40 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
Most reviewers say the Audi Q3 has worse gas mileage than the other luxury subcompact, but they don't tell you that the Audi Q3 uses REGULAR gas, while all the others require premium. This should be factored into the gas mileage ratings.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2022 Audi Q3, so we've included reviews for other years of the Q3 since its last redesign.