Say hello to…
…the new Audi Q3 small SUV in plug-in hybrid form. Power goes to the front wheels and comes from a 1.5-litre petrol engine married to a motor fed by an 11kWh battery. Total power is rated at 272hp, while the official EV-only range is 69 miles.
There are three trim levels:
- Sport
- S-line
- Edition 1
Standard equipment on the Sport includes heated front seats, 12.8-inch infotainment screen, power-fold mirrors, 3-zone climate control, USB ports, wireless phone charging, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control and 18-inch alloys.
S-line adds exterior styling pack, privacy glass and stainless steel pedals.
Edition 1 adds a black styling pack, progressive steering, dynamic package and heated steering wheel.
Is the Audi Q3 PHEV suitable for my fleet
Being a plug-in hybrid and there not being a fully electric Q3, this is the most fleet-friendly version in the range. There are also a range of petrol models with varying states of hybridity. However, with a CO2 figure of 43g/km and an electric range of nearly 70 miles, the 9% BIK band means this is the one to pick.
The Q3 is also practical in the class, with a decent 375 litre boot and reasonable room in the rear seats.
Leasing a Audi Q3 PHEV
Gateway2lease is offering the Q3 PHEV in S-line trim for £499 a month on a 9+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year. Forecast maintenance costs run to £38 a month, according to Gensen Reports, while Class 1A NIC comes in at £50 a month.
Driving a Audi Q3 PHEV
Opting for a traditional premium brand, such as Audi, brings with a certain level of expectations. This is partly due to the price point (in this case a near £50,000 P11D or a £500-a-month lease before options) and partly due to brand heritage. In Audi’s case, that heritage means a very high quality interior, a refined yet sporty driving experience and good levels of the latest technology with user-friendly design.
For the interior quality, the Q3 passes muster. The tech is decent too with quick-to-react infotainment screens and easy to use operating system; it’s very simple to turn off the warnings for speed and lane-keeping.
However, there are a few design touches that make the car less easy to use than its rivals. The first, the control stalks for wipers, indicators and gear selection just takes some getting used to. After a few days use you stop operating the wrong control.
The second is the driver’s display which allows drivers to change some of the layout and what’s on display (the trip computer, ADAS info and more), but whatever mode you’re in, the speed is in a fixed low position and not as prominent as you’d want.
Drive the Q3 PHEV and it’s quickly obvious that not enough development work has gone into the way the electric motor, brake energy regeneration and petrol engine work with each other. This is odd, because in other Volkswagen Group cars that use the same system there aren’t any issues.
In the Q3, the way the engine and motor interact is rarely smooth and also unpredictable. The result is that it’s very difficult to drive the car smoothly.
Yes, it produces a lot of power – 272hp – but the delivery is far from linear. Plus, putting that amount of power through just the front tyres causes issues. In damp conditions, all the car wants to do pulling out of junctions at anything more than a crawl and the traction control light spends time illuminated.
The transition between brake energy regeneration and physical braking is also noticeable, a rarity in modern cars, and when you do use them, there’s not a lot of bite.
Ride comfort is on the firm side, which would be fine if the car also felt sporty, but the above issues mean you can’t really have any fun when driving.
There is, however, one area where the Q3 PHEV excels. It is impressively efficient. Normally, PHEV official fuel consumption figures are wildly optimistic against the real-world figure. However, over a week’s driving we saw 241mpg on the trip computer. Yes, we did plug-in whenever we could, but the 69-mile claimed EV-only range seems to translate well in the real-world, even with some motorway trips.
FleetandLeasing.com verdict on the Audi Q3 PHEV
Audi has missed the mark with new Q3. It’s efficient, but not great to drive.
Audi Q3 PHEV
- Model: Q3 S-line e-hybrid S-tronic
- Power: 272hp
- Torque: 250Nm
- Max speed: 134mph
- 0-62mph: 6.8s
- Official mpg: 149mpg
- Official EV range: 69 miles
- Test mpg: 241mpg
- CO2 emissions: 43g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 9%
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