Compare the2023 Honda AccordVS 2023 Audi A3

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Accord are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Accord Touring has standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The A3 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Accord’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Accord and the A3 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, front wheel drive, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Accord 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Accord for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A3.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Accord’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 56 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 1 place higher in reliability than Audi.

The Accord Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 3 more horsepower (204 vs. 201) than the A3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Accord gets better mileage than the A3:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Accord uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A3 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Accord has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The A3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Accord has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The A3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

For better traction, the Accord Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A3 (235/40R19 vs. 225/45R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Accord Sport/Touring has standard 19-inch wheels. The A3’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Accord’s wheelbase is 7.9 inches longer than on the A3 (111.4 inches vs. 103.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Accord is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the A3.

The front grille of the Accord uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The A3 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Accord uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The A3 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Accord a Large car, while the A3 is rated a Subcompact.

The Accord has 18.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A3 (105.7 vs. 87).

The Accord has 2.7 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 5.6 inches more rear legroom and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the A3.

The Accord has a much larger trunk than the A3 (16.7 vs. 10.9 cubic feet).

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the Accord offers cargo security. The A3’s non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

The Accord has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The A3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Accord Sport-L/EX-L/Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The A3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Accord Touring has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The A3 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Accord’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The A3’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Both the Accord and the A3 offer available heated front seats. The Accord Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the A3.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Accord Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The A3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Honda Accord outsold the Audi A3/S3/RS 3 by almost 16 to one during 2022.