Which Audi A3 trim depreciates the fastest?
Even near the end of the current-generation Audi A3’s production run, it remains a popular choice for buyers who want a premium experience in a smaller package. Not everyone can afford a new A3, though, so many buyers look at the pre-owned market to find a bargain. We had a look at the used Audi A3s listed here on AutoTrader, to determine which trim depreciates the fastest.
With an expansive selection of body styles and engine options, the current-generation Audi A3 (as facelifted near the end of 2016) offers something for most needs and budgets. Strong sales through the years also means that a nice selection of used A3s have now reached the used-car market, offering most of the latest mod-cons at a discounted price.
We searched AutoTrader for used, facelifted A3s from the 2016 model year, and compared their average current prices to what they cost when new. We then calculated the percentage of retained value over this 3-year period. Not all launch variants are simultaneously available in the pre-owned market, so we restricted this list to cars that were available on site at the time of writing.
Furthermore, seeing as the model update only happened late in 2016, search results may show a mix of facelifted- and pre-facelifted examples. We stuck to the facelifted cars for the purpose of this exercise, but pre-facelift cars of the same vintage offer most of the same features but at even lower prices.
2016 Audi A3 Sedan
| A3 1.0 TFSI S-Tronic (auto) | |
| New Price: | R 427 000 |
| Average Current Price: | R 289 990 |
| Value Retained: | 67.9% |
| A3 1.4 TFSI S-Tronic (auto) | |
| New Price: | R 448 000 |
| Average Current Price: | R 342 700 |
| Value Retained: | 76.5% |
2016 Audi A3 Sportback (5-door)
| A3 2.0 TFSI S-Tronic (auto) | |
| New Price: | R 465 500 |
| Average Current Price: | R 339 990 |
| Value Retained: | 73.0% |
| A3 2.0 TDI S-Tronic (auto) | |
| New Price: | R 499 000 |
| Average Current Price: | R 319 900 |
| Value Retained: | 64.1% |
Analysis
It needs to be kept in mind that many of the cars listed on AutoTrader may have all manner of expensive options fitted, which will obviously skew their second-hand value somewhat. However, it’s also well-known that a car’s factory options seldom influence their resale value as much as they influence the car’s price when new. At most, options should make a difference of around R40 000 to the car’s second-hand value, in the case of a full-house car, which may account for some of the discrepancies we notice here.
Of far greater significance is the car’s mileage, with lower-mileage cars fetching appreciably higher prices in the used market. We didn’t factor this into our calculations, because most of the cars we considered have similar (industry-average for their age) mileage around the 60 000 kilometre mark anyway.
Which one depreciates the fastest?
Mirroring the trend we noticed when we recently investigated the resale values of used Audi A4s, the least-expensive A3 derivatives (when new) also lost the most of their value when they progressed to the pre-owned market. On average, entry-level 1.0 TFSI sedans retained only 67.9% of their original value after 3 years, and this trend is also mirrored in 2017 model year examples of all body types.
In fact, the body style has very little bearing on A3 pre-owned values, with sedan- and Sportback variants showing almost no difference in their value retention percentages. Contrary to our earlier A4 investigation’s results, the 2.0 TDI derivatives didn’t put up the strongest showing in terms of resale value, however, with sedan- and Sportback derivatives only maintaining 64.1% and 69.5% of their original value after three years.
The real stars of value retention appears to also be the most popular derivatives when new, with 1.4 TFSI variants retaining 76.5% and 77.6% of their original values in sedan and Sportback guises, respectively. The 2.0 TFSI also performed surprisingly well, and held on to 73% of its original value over three years.
Summary
The pre-owned market largely agrees with new-car buyers as far as the Audi A3 range goes, and demonstrates that the sweet spot is right in the middle of the range. This means that 1.4 TFSI derivatives are proportionally the most expensive used A3s you can buy, with the 2.0 TDI and 1.0 TFSI variants offering the most car for the lowest outlay when buying used. South Africans also have a taste for higher-performance cars, as shown by the 2.0 TFSI’s strong showing.
If you’re looking for a bargain A3, go grab a thoroughly-depreciated 1.0 TFSI or 2.0 TDI. If you want a quick one, the 2.0 TFSI will give you near-GTI performance with Audi luxury. But, if you want to safeguard your investment as far as possible, the A3 1.4 TFSI will most likely return the most money to your pocket when the time comes to sell it on.
Related reading:
The Audi A3 created quite a splash when it arrived. Read our first road test here.
Wonder how the Audi A3 came to be? Read this model's history here.
Click here to view our comprehensive buyer's guide to the Audi A3.
Read all about the 2016 Audi A3 facelift here.
Which Audi A4 depreciates the fastest? We did the math and came up with a surprising answer.