The Audi RS3 Sedan is a rather special machine. When we tested it we were suitably impressed with the way it behaves and handles itself. Based on the 8Y generation A3, the RS3 is a 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder, all-wheel-drive menace that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The only thing that would wipe that smile off is if someone got hurt in it. Which begs the question; how safe is the Audi RS3 Sedan?
Related: Audi RS3 Sedan (2023) Review
Any performance product in this day and age has to ensure that the safety systems and features, both active and passive, match the capabilities of the vehicle. With the Audi RS3 range, in both Sportback and Sedan, you can be sure that the safety levels have not been compromised in the name of performance.
Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme, or Euro NCAP, is a standardized testing process that allows vehicles to be evaluated according to a strict set of parameters. Vehicles are then scored and this will enable one to compare two vehicles to ascertain which is safer. The tests comprise of several crash tests, front, rear, and side with a multitude of sensors and high-speed cameras employed to capture the effects of the impacts. Crash test dummies are fitted with sensitive accelerometers to help ascertain how the human body would be affected in a similar incident.
The vehicle is rated using a star system and given a percentage score for various elements. As it is wasteful and often unnecessary to test each and every derivative of a particular model, the manufacturer will present one variant, the one that they anticipate to be the most popular of the range. Destroying several RS3s, in this case, is not necessary as the regular 8Y Audi A3 has the same or similar safety standard.
Audi RS3 Sedan
The Audi A3 (8Y) was tested in 2020 by Euro NCAP and scored a full 5 stars. It received scores of 89% for adult occupants, 81% for child occupants, 68% for vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists), and 73% for the efficacy of its safety assist systems.
The RS3 Sedan has 6 airbags including front, side and curtain airbags. ABS with EBD and Automatic Emergency Brake. Traction control and ESC help keep the vehicle planted on the road in emergencies.
It is also available with cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, blindspot alert, and Audi pre-sense for the front. ISOFix mountings ensure that applicable child seats are restrained correctly and securely.
