Audi RS Q3 (F3) | PH Used Buying Guide

Like an RS3, but need more dog space? The flagship Q3 might be the SUV for you

By Tony Middlehurst / Sunday, 21 June 2026 / Loading comments

Key considerations

Available for £31,000
2.5-litre inline-five petrol turbo, all-wheel drive
One of the last high-character petrol engines
Comfortable, safe and quick chassis, better with optional adaptive suspension
Some mechanical and electrical issues, but they're well-known and avoidable
Might have dropped below £30k by the end of '26

Going on sale in Europe from the end of 2019, the gen-two (F3) RS Q3 was Audi Sport's successor to the company's first RS-badged hot SUV. Powered by a more powerful update of the legendary 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI engine, the new RS Q3 came in two bodystyles: a regular five-door, and a Sportback with a sat-upon rear roofline designed to lower the car's visual centre of gravity at the cost of reduced practicality and comfort for any occasional back seat passengers. Spec levels were base, Sport Edition and Vorsprung.

At prices starting at £53,600 from launch, the new RS Q3 was around £6,000 more expensive than its predecessor. At the time of writing in June 2026, it was possible to pick up a used gen-two car for £31,000. That would get you something with at least 65,000 miles on it, but on the plus side Q3s at any money are very likely to have plenty of expensive extras on them as many were well optioned up from new.

SPECIFICATION | AUDI RS Q3 SPORTBACK (2019-25)

Engine: 2,480cc inline five 20v turbo petrol
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch S Tronic auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 395@5,850-7,000rpm
Torque (Ib ft): 354@1,950-5,850rpm
0-62mph (secs): 4.5
Top speed (mph): 155 (limited), unlockable to 174
Weight (kg): 1,715
MPG (official combined): 32.1
CO2 (g/km, WLTP): 204-202
Wheels (in): 20 or 21
Tyres: 255/40 or 255/35
On sale: 2019 - 2025
Price new (2019): from £53,600
Price now: from £31,000

Note for reference: car weight and power data is hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it's wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.

ENGINE & GEARBOX

The RS Q3's EA855 DNWA Evo 2.5 TFSI single turbo inline five won the International Engine of the Year award nine times on the bounce. For the F3 Audi managed to trim 26 kilos out of the already very compact unit. 18 of those came from a switch to aluminium for the construction of the crankcase. Hollowing out the crankshaft saved another kilogram. The main bearings were smaller and the cylinders were plasma-coated.

Capacity was unchanged for the new car but it had 17 per cent more power than the old one. Perhaps more importantly, the unit was set up to deliver perfectly dovetailed power and torque. Maximum torque of 354lb ft began at 1,950rpm and was maintained to 5,850rpm, at which point maximum power of 395hp took the baton on to 7,000rpm.

In the short warm-up phase from a cold start, coolant was deliberately not allowed to circulate in the cylinder head to help the engine reach its operating temperature more quickly, reducing internal friction and fuel consumption. That was the theory anyway. Owners who have reported ticking noises when cold have been told that it's nothing to worry about. There have been reports of excessive oil consumption (which can ease off with mileage). Wastegate rattle on a cold start and/or on part throttle has been described as normal by Audi. A tinny rattle from the exhaust flaps under the same conditions was however acknowledged by Audi. That resulted in the release of an updated exhaust system.

The electronic systems fitted by Audi haven't always behaved flawlessly on this model, or on others in its range for that matter. Duff sensors would trigger bogus warning lights. Solenoids in the RS Q3's coolant system could stick slightly open, creating fluctuations in the engine temperature and a longer warmup time even in warm weather.

Timing chain stretch caused by tensioner failure could be a thing on cars running cheap or infrequently changed oil. Left unattended, it would result in valves hitting pistons and the arrival of a very big repair bill. Turbo bearings could give up, especially on cars that were mainly used for short trips, and water pump housings might crack, dropping coolant. At least one owner's car experienced engine failure caused by a displaced needle roller bearing in one of the cam followers. That problem was usually flagged up by oil venting from the filler cap. It typically resulted in a trashed camshaft lobe.

Issues with the fuel vapour return valve and with failing seals on the high-pressure fuel pump have also been noted. The standard exhaust note was decent but maybe not quite as inspiring as it could have been. An extra £1,000 spent on an RS sports pipe with black tail trims would unleash more five-pot warble. You could get that system for free if you paid extra for a Vorsprung or Edition model, which meant that it wasn't free really.

The seven-speed S Tronic DQ500 dual-clutch transmission usually worked as slickly and unobtrusively as you'd expect, but the partnership with this particular engine wasn't perfect. Give it a bootful from low speeds and there was a sense of the powertrain gathering its breath before responding. Hesitation during gearshifts was flagged up but we're not sure if that was actually a transmission problem. Inline fives have historically shown a degree of long crank/flywheel inertia. Look at it as a trait to be factored into the drive. Become accustomed to it over time and you should be right. If you do a lot of hard driving, DQ500 Mechatronic units and clutch packs will eventually wear out. A new OEM Mechatronic unit with its software will cost you over £3,400 in the UK.

A software update was put out to fix battery draining that was a consequence of the control unit for the Audi connect Emergency Call system being permanently on. Before that fix was issued you were well advised to invest in a trickle charger if you weren't planning on driving your RS Q3 more than once every few days.

For supplementary RS fun, ECU chip upgrades are of course available. Firms like ABT will sell you a new engine control unit that lifts power to nearly 440hp and torque to 384lb ft, cutting the 0-62mph time by 0.2 seconds to 4.3 seconds. At the other end of the scale, a full Stage 5 tune with a Garrett G35-1050 turbocharger, competition-spec intercooler and a hatful of other goodies is reputed to take the motor up to 1,000hp, but you'll be paying hard for the full package as stronger internals (forged pistons and conrods, reinforced clutch etc) are required to prevent unwanted explosions. You'll be looking at over £20k all in. A Stage 2 kit with a new downpipe, bigger intake and turbo inlet hardware, new throttle valves, coils and plugs is a more affordable option at around £3k. That will deliver 520hp and 465lb ft.

Running costs on the standard car were surprisingly reasonable. Fuel consumption figures in the 40s were easily attainable. The internet says that RS Q3 servicing costs typically range from £144 (which sounds cheap) to £288 (which still sounds cheap). We suspect Al is talking about regular Q3s there rather than RS models. For a more exact and possibly more realistic idea you can go to Audi's online servicing site, but as usual with this sort of thing the lack of transparency means there's no visible indication as to what kind of money an individual service might be. To get that info you have to put your reg number in and go through a quotation process.

Alternatively there's the Audi Service Plan which combines the cost of a certain number of scheduled services into one lump sum that you can then pay off on a monthly basis. For cars of over 2.0 litres and between 3 and 6 years old, which would cover most F3 RS Q3s, the lump sum would be £888 and the monthly payments over two years would be £37. If your F3 RS Q3 is an early example that's more than six years old the lump sum drops to £624 and the monthly to £26. This ASP package buys what Audi describes, slightly confusingly, as '1 oil service, 1 oil and inspection service with pollen filter replacement and 2 MOTs'. It was important to stick to the 40,000km fluid change schedule for the Haldex system if you wanted to avoid clogging the pre-charge pump with sludge.

CHASSIS

The RS's track widths were fractionally up on the standard Q3's, the front being a few millimetres wider than the rear. As you'd expect from an RS, the suspension was upgraded with stiffer springs and dampers and a 10mm lower ride height. At this level of expenditure, you might also have expected Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive suspension with comfort and sports modes, but as it turned out that was only included for 'free' in the more expensive Vorsprung. For other specs it was a £1,000 extra. If you could get past your irritation at having to pay for a less nobbly ride on British roads you would probably consider it worthwhile.

Handling characteristics on the standard passive setup were a decent blend of grip and predictability backed by the torque-trimming failsafe of nose tuck-in. It wasn't as sporty as a proper hot hatch like the A45 S AMG, but there's a limit on what you can achieve with a tall-bodied SUV. Still, you did get solid-feeling variable ratio steering and two new Drive Select settings, RS1 and RS2, which allowed you to choose your own mix of drive responses (efficient, balanced, dynamic), steering (comfortable, balanced, dynamic), engine sound (subdued, automatic, pronounced) and quattro all-wheel drive (comfortable, balanced, dynamic). Once your selections were locked in you could quickly toggle between them via a steering wheel button.

These RS modes were on top of the normal five-mode package of comfort, auto, dynamic, efficiency and individual. Brake disc sizes were 375mm front and 310mm rear, with black calipers as standard or red ones if you wanted to pay an extra £375 for that. The nature of the car means that it will go through discs and pads more rapidly than, say, a Toyota Aygo. 380mm carbon ceramic discs on the front axle only were available at a pricey £4,500.

There was a disconnect between Audi's press information and what launch journalists were told about the availability of tyre pressure monitoring as standard. Maybe PH posters will come on here with some insights on that. Some might see the absence of TPMS as a good thing, given that these systems haven't always been 100 per cent reliable not just in Audis but industry-wide. Suspension bushes take a bit of a hammering on these cars, and springs have been known to corrode.

BODYWORK

Bigger wheelarches and a revised 'Singleframe' front end featuring a large acreage of apparently randomly designed black honeycombs were the key distinguishers between the RS Q3 and the basic Q3. Higher spec or Black pack cars had window/door and other trims in black instead of satin chrome. Headlights were either LED or Matrix LED. Audi Sport puddle lights were standard. The flat slit at the leading edge of the RS's bonnet was fake, as was the 'rear diffuser'. Maxton does a well-rated body kit for these cars.

Most of the cars bought in the UK were ordered in sober colours like black or grey but you could choose a more lairy hue such as Kyalami Green or Pulse Orange or something unique from Audi exclusive (their choice of lower-case 'e', not ours). The lighter and trendier - for a while anyway - Nardo Grey was a popular halfway house selection.

Luggage compartment space in the RS Q3 was 530 litres with the back seats in place, a good size for the class. Seats-down space grew to 1,525 litres in the regular car and 1,400 litres in the Sportback. In one UK test the windscreen wipers of the press vehicle came on unbidden during the 0-60 run, the kind of quirk that might make some folk wonder about the integrity of the long-term ownership experience. Some panoramic sunroofs have needed warranty attention too, sometimes including complete replacement, to stop water running into the footwell from the headliner.

Fogging of F3 Q3 front cameras has messed up the operation of systems like the Matrix LED high beam, traffic sign recognition, Pre Sense and ACC. A new windscreen with a camera heater was the fix for that.

INTERIOR

A flat-bottomed RS sports steering wheel was standard, as were soft nappa leather sports seats which actually weren't massively sporty in terms of the grip and support they provided. The rear seats were slideable fore and aft by just under six inches in the RS Q3 and by just over five inches in the Sportback, and seven-stage backrest reclinability was built in too. Setting the rear seats to anything other than max legroom or max recline only made sense if you had to accommodate more luggage as any other setting simply decreased rear passenger space and comfort.

Besides the angled-in central infotainment display and Audi's usual full-screen 12-inch virtual cockpit driver's display - here with shift lights, bespoke 'RS' layouts and additional info such as lap times and 0-62mph, 0-124mph, quarter- and eighth-mile acceleration measurements - you could enjoy the increasingly rare pleasure of proper physical knobs to control your dual temperature zones. Vorsprung range-toppers were supposed to have three temp zones, but some owners expecting that to translate into a full digital setup in the back as well as the front were disappointed to find that the third zone was actually just a temperature thumbwheel in the rear compartment. Vorsprungs did definitely have extended interior ambient lighting and a B&0 sound system.

You didn't need a Vorsprung to get Alcantara on the steering wheel, door cards and some sections of the dash. It was all included in the standard spec, as were Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Carbon fibre dash inlays were on the options list. Audi didn't bother to put any 'RS' badging on the gear selector, which left it looking a bit bare. The shift paddles were plastic rather than metal but button operation was lovely and oddments space in the doors and central cubbies was generous.

The electronic imperfections mentioned in the Engine & Gearbox section have occasionally drifted over into the sat-nav and infotainment departments, generating dealer bookings and potentially long repair delays depending on how busy and/or inadequately staffed those dealerships were.

PH VERDICT

The new RS Q3 was a smooth, quick and useful tool with a generous overlay of extra character from its warblesome five-cylinder motor, very much a member of the dying breed entitled 'interesting engines'. Driven normally, it was one of those cars that would get you to your destination in less time than you were expecting, having burned less fuel than you were expecting. Driven abnormally it could be stupidly quick, backed by failsafe handling that was more about keeping you out of trouble than keeping you entertained.

It's all relative though. We've come to expect supercar talents from SUVs, a category that only a few years ago was being dismissed as terminally dull. The RS Q3 is anything but that. The phrase 'baby Lamborghini Urus' was used in one review. Audi did nothing to disabuse folk of that perception, offering the RS Q3 in distinctly Lambo-like colours. Sceptics, on the other hand, said that it fell between two stools: small enough to be usefully wieldy in a multistorey car park, but once out of that environment less entertaining than a sporty hatch and less SUV-ish than some other SUVs. Realistically it was a four-seater. Taken in the round, you had to think carefully about your motoring requirements before plumping for a new one.

Guides like this are of course designed to help you buy used, not new, and that's where the F3 RS Q3 starts to make more sense to the PHer looking for something a bit different. Well-built, reliable cars can blur the line nicely between new and used. If you trust the Audi brand enough, you could easily view £31,000 or less for a secondhand Q3 (£35k for a higher-miles Vorsprung) as good value when you remember the new price in 2019, which with the commonly fitted options could get well past £60k.

It may seem from this guide that there are a number of issues with the F3 RS Q3, but they're all well-known in the community and Audi has been pretty fair about acknowledging them. Getting timely action from dealers might be hit or miss, depending on where you live, but most of the banana skins can be swerved by following a proper maintenance schedule.

Mechanically speaking, generic problems in the wider Q3 range have mainly been associated with the EA288 2.0 diesel engine rather than the EA855 petrol. Overall long-term reliability for the RS could be classified as 'good'. A bit behind brilliant, but a long way ahead of awful. Before taking the plunge on a used RS, or any car really, it would be in your interest to find out as much as you can about what kind of driving it's been put through by previous owners. In this case high-load, stop-start stuff in cities is sub-optimal.

In the UK at least, used Sportbacks outnumber non-Sportbacks by a factor of about three to two. The most affordable one on PH in June '26 was this 2020 68,000-mile Sportback with a PCW exhaust described by the manufacturer as the loudest one they could make without removing the particulate filters or cats. Despite its asking price of £30,995, which was the lowest in the UK at the time, that car did come with a new MOT. Draw your own conclusions. If you prefer something a little less raucous this non-Sportback 2021 example with 41,000 miles was on PH for under £37k. The cheapest Vorsprung on PH was another regular RS Q3 from 2021 with 48,000 miles at £41,995.

See every RS Q3 for sale