Audi Q3

245 complaints across 5 scored model years and 16 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Audi Q3 Full report

Grade 2016–2021

2020 vs model median 7.2×

Model median3× median

Engine 21

Electrical 19

Steering 9

Avoid

2020 · 2021

Best

2018 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Audi Q3
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2016	1.00×	13	C
2018	0.60×	11	B
2019	0.79×	14	B
2020	7.17×	95	F
2021	1.66×	21	D
2022 P	2.85×	50	F
2024 P	1.51×	25	C

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	25
City / Highway	22 / 29
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	All-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,450

Recalls

16 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
22V815000	TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS	2019	296,044
16V642000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2016	79,895
21V606000	SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR	2021	45,496
25V082000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE	2024	29,569
17V400000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS	2016	24,754
19V385000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL	2016, 2018	23,241
22V673000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE	2021, 2022	13,004
22V806000	EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT:VIDEO (TOUCH)SCREEN/MONITOR/UNIT	2022	6,076

+ 8 further campaigns

Others in Subcompact SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Alfa Romeo Stelvio	2018	C
Audi E-Tron	none flagged	C
BMW X1	2014	C
Buick Encore	2015	C
Buick Encore GX	none flagged	B
Cadillac XT4	none flagged	B
Chevrolet Captiva	none flagged	B
Chevrolet Trax	none flagged	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2020 Q3

Complaints in window: 95
Severity-weighted: 168.5
Model median (weighted): 24
vs model median: 7.17×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 2
Open investigations: 0

Score 20 F