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Used Buyer's Guide: Audi A3 Cabriolet

With a new car on the way, this classy convertible looks better than ever used

How much?

Diesel A3 Cabriolets outnumber their petrol equivalents by nearly two to one – £10,000 will buy pretty much any version, as long as you don’t mind something that’s done around 100,000 miles. For a car with 60,000 miles or fewer, you need to increase your budget to £11,500 – that brings mainly the 1.8 TFSI and 2.0 TDI within reach.

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Only one in five A3 Cabriolets is an automatic; if you want one of these, you’ll typically pay another £600, with the cheapest automatics costing around £12,000.

Running costs

ModelInsurance GroupFuel economyCO2 emissionsAnnual road tax
1.2 TFSI1849mpg132g/km£125
1.61738mpg174g/km£200
1.8 TFSI26-2838mpg174g/km£200
2.0 TFSI30-3137mpg172g/km£200
1.6 TDI20-2165mpg114g/km£30
1.9 TDI19-2055mpg134g/km£125
2.0 TDI25-2653mpg139g/km£125

All A3 Cabriolets have variable servicing, so schedules vary from 9,000 miles or 12 months up to 20,000 miles or two years. To keep cars within its dealer network, Audi slashes maintenance costs significantly once a model reaches its third birthday. Up to this point, prices vary between £280 and £350, then they drop to £160-£310.

All engines need new cambelts every five years/75,000 miles; this is £439 on older cars, but up to £800 on those up to three years old. Every two years, the air-con needs recharging (£100) and the brake fluid replenishing (£59 for models over three years old; £82 up to that age).

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New & used car deals

Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £19,200Avg. savings £4,670 off RRP*Used from £14,998
Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,255Avg. savings £1,966 off RRP*Used from £7,250
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £23,990Avg. savings £2,192 off RRP*Used from £20,921
Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,115 off RRP*Used from £13,328
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
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