The passenger compartment of the Audi A3 remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and the front seat passenger. Audi showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions.  Protection of the driver’s chest was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of compression.  Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the Audi A3 would be an aggressive impact partner in a frontal collision.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection was good or adequate for all critical body regions of the driver rear seat passenger.  In both the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact, good protection was provided to all critical body areas and the Audi A3 scored maximum points in this part of the assessment.  Control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was found to be adequate.  The Audi A3 has a countermeasure to mitigate against occupant-to-occupant injuries in such impacts.  The airbag performed well in Euro NCAP’s tests with dummy readings indicating good protection for both the driver and passenger.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric analysis of the rear seats also indicated good whiplash protection.  The car has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash, and a  system to prevent secondary impacts after the car has been in a collision.  Audi demonstrated that the doors and windows would be openable to allow occupants to escape in the event of vehicle submergence.

In the frontal offset test protection was rated as marginal for the neck and chest of the 10 year old, based on dummy readings of tensile forces and acceleration.  In the side barrier impact protection of all critical parts of the body was good for both the 6 and 10 year dummies.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded.  The Audi A3 is not equipped with 'child presence detection', a system which can alert others if children have been left in the car. All of the child restraint types for which the Audi A3 is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

Protection of the head of a struck pedestrian or cyclist was predominantly adequate, with poor results recorded on the stiff windscreen pillars and at the base of the screen.  Protection of the pelvis was good at all test locations, as was that of the femur.  Protection of the knee and tibia was mixed.  The autonomous emergency braking system of the Audi A3 responds to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, as well as to other vehicles.  In tests of its response to pedestrians, the system performed adequately.  A system is available which provides protection to those to the rear of the car but this is an option and not included in this assessment.  Similarly, protection against ‘dooring’, where a door is opened into the path of a cyclist approaching from behind, is also an option not included in this assessment.  Otherwise, the system performed well in tests of its reaction to cyclists, while its response to motorcyclists was good.

Overall, the performance of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was good in tests of its reaction to other vehicles.  A seatbelt reminder system is fitted as standard to the front and rear seats.  The car has a direct driver status monitoring system as standard, detecting driver fatigue and some types of distraction.  The lane support system gently corrects the vehicle’s path if it is drifting out of lane and also intervenes in some more critical situations.  The speed assistance system identifies the local speed limit.  The driver can choose to allow the limiter to be set automatically by the system.