Audi A1 Review 2024

There’s a lot to admire in the way the Audi has styled the A1 Sportback. It has just the right blend of sporty and chic for those who will be drawn to the premium end of the supermini market.

Audi has also judged the cabin very well, with enough space in the cabin for it to work as your only car, though many will end up as the second in a household. 

Every A1 Sportback comes well fitted out with standard luxury and safety kit, showing up many of its mainstream rivals. Even the most basic A1 makes rivals seem a bit mean with their equipment, which makes the Sportback fit right in as a scaled down - rather than scaled back - small Audi. Audi also offers a 'crossover' version in the form of the Audi A1 Citycarver.

Classy small hatch buyers are not short of choice and MINI is the big rival to the Audi A1 Sportback. The MINI is more overtly styled to stand out, which some will prefer more than others.

Competition also comes from the A1’s cousins from elsewhere in the greater Volkswagen empire in the forms of the Volkswagen Polo, SEAT Ibiza and Skoda Fabia. All are very capable and the Polo especially has premium aspirations.

Don’t forget the superb Ford Fiesta in its various guises, or the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 that have many appealing strengths.

Oddly for an Audi, the fit and finish of the A1 Sportback is a mixed bag. On first acquaintance, all seems hunky-dory with the world as your hands are greeted by soft-touch plastics and high-grade materials on the doors, steering wheels and controls.

However, more time spent in the A1 reveals that some of the plastics that are not immediately obvious have been pared back in quality. For example, the door panels feel quite cheap and not what we’d expect of an Audi or a premium small car with matching price tags. Even so, the Sportback’s cabin feels robustly built.

All but the entry-point Technik model of A1 Sportback come with sports front seats to endow the cabin with more pizzazz. However, you have to head all the way up the range to the Vorsprung before you are treated to more than simple cloth upholstery, as this model trades that for Alcantara and faux leather trim.

Choose any A1 Sportback and it will come with the 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit display. This presents the main instruments’ information in a digital cluster that can be altered to show speed and revs more or less prominently. It can also show details on gear selection, time, radio and the telephone menu.

Most Audi A1 Sportback models come with the standard 8.8-inch touchscreen to operate the infotainment. The colour screen can connect to your smartphone using Bluetooth or a USB port to access music, phone calls, maps and other apps.

Only the Vorsprung model gains the larger 10.1-inch MMI Navigation Plus touchscreen as standard. This provides 3D city models to make it easier to work out where you are in relation to the map. It also has live traffic information, voice recognition and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit that shows the navigation map in the main binnacle so it’s easier to follow directions as you drive.

This system can also be added to other A1 Sportback models with the optional Technology Pack. If you choose it, you get a three-year subscription to Audi Connect Infotainment Services to access the internet. Phone Box wireless charging for Qi-enabled smartphones is included with the MMI Navigation Plus pack, too.

Audi has made the second-generation A1 Sportback longer and wider than the previous 2010-vintage model, measuring just over 4m long and a little over 1.7m wide. It’s also lower, although this is in overall stance as there’s increased headroom for all occupants to make the German small hatch feel much more roomy inside than before.

This is noticeable more than anywhere in the rear seats, where adults can now reside in reasonable comfort. Before, grown-ups were all but forbidden from sitting back here due to the restrictions on headroom by the A1 Sportback’s roof line. Now, with this latest generation, you can happily accommodate two adults in here.

There’s a trio of three-point seat belts in the back, too, plus a pair of ISOFIX child seat mounts. The middle seat belt is an ambitious thought for adults, but makes the A1 able to carry your kids plus a mate safely. Big door bins will stash all their sweet wrappers, but that’s it for storage in the rear quarters.

If you need to carry luggage, the Audi A1 Sportback’s boot offers 335 litres of space, which puts it among the best in the small premium hatch sector. Fold down the 60/40 split and tumble rear seat back and you can access up to 1090 litres of cargo carrying clout through the wider-than-class-norm tailgate opening. The load floor is flat, and under the cover resides a get-you-home puncture repair kit in lieu of a spare wheel.

Move forward in the cabin, and the two front occupants have plenty of space to stretch out. Each front seat has manual height adjustment and the driver can further hone the seating position with reach and angle movement for the steering wheel. Door bins, glovebox and a tray in front of the gear lever take care of storage.

The instruments and infotainment are easy to read and can be used most of the time through the steering wheel buttons. Audi also deserves praise for the oh-so simple rotary controls for the heat and fan settings. No need to look at the digital read-outs for these, just twist the dial to make the cabin warmer or cooler.

The A1 Sportback comes with a choice of four of Audi’s TFSI turbocharged petrol engines, starting with a brace of 1.0-litre three-cylinder motors with 95- or 110PS. Choose the less powerful of these two, called 25 TFSI, and you’ll be best off sticking to town driving as it needs to be worked hard through its five-speed manual gearbox to give decent zip on the motorway.

This engine can also be ordered with the seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch automatic gearbox. It makes for smooth progress but dulls the driving experience. It’s the same with the other engines, where the S tronic is either an option or standard.

Take the other 1.0-litre engine - badged 30 TFSI - with 110PS and it’s noticeably peppier off the mark, though it still feels a little short on puff when driving along the motorway. As a result, we’d opt for the 35 TFSI with its 1.5-litre turbo petrol and 150PS that only comes with the S tronic auto. It’s a much more rounded performer in every arena and inflicts no fuel economy penalty over the 30 TFSI. If your budget is elastic enough to include this engine in your decision, it’s worth doing for its more relaxed cruising and zestier take-off in town.

For those who want the hot hatch experience in the A1 Sportback, the S Line Competition is the only model fitted with the 2.0-litre turbo petrol 40 TFSI engine. With 200PS, it’s on a par with the Volkswagen Polo GTI, and turns in 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds. However, it doesn’t feel as lively to drive as the Fiesta ST, delivering more of a brisk turn of pace rather than pulse-racing performance.

Audi laid out a strong case for the original A1 Sportback as a premium small hatchback thanks to its excellent refinement. Much of that hard work has been squandered in this second-generation A1, as it generates too much road noise at all speeds.

In town, unless the road is freshly laid and smooth, there is a background hum from the tyres. Head on to faster roads and that hum becomes a grating rumble that undermines the car’s ability to take longer journeys without tiring its occupants unduly.

All of this is amplified in A1 Sportbacks fitted with larger alloy wheels and Sports suspension, which only serve to drum up more road noise and transmit it to the cabin. Stick with the Technik model and its 15-inch alloy wheels if you want an A1 with decent road refinement.

As for wind- and engine noise, they are both kept far more distant from occupants’ ears. Even when the engines are revved hard, which is needed more often than you might think, they retain good composure and don’t become harsh to listen to.

Choose any of the A1 Sportback range and you’ll have twin front-, side- and curtain airbags to protect the car’s occupants. Every car in the range also has ESP stability control and a hill hold assist to prevent the car from rolling backwards as you let off the handbrake on inclines.

All of this has helped the A1 Sportback achieve a very high 95% score for adult occupant safety and 85% rating for child safety in Euro NCAP crash tests, in which it scored the full five-star rating overall. The Audi also manages 80% for safety assist systems. They include a lane departure warning system that alerts the driver if the car begins to wander across a road marking. Should the driver lose concentration on what is ahead, the emergency city braking system will apply the brakes if you don’t and, in the event of a collision, it will even contact the emergency services itself.

Every A1 Sportback has twin rear ISOFIX child seat mounts and you can add to the car’s safety kit with options such as a rear parking camera, parking assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beam assist to guard against dazzling oncoming cars.

Another option for the A1 Sportback is an integrated dash cam called Universal traffic recorder. You can pick between a single front-facing camera or one with front- and rear cameras for full coverage.

We've heard of a few issues with the Audi A1 Sportback, with the most common based around some hesitation from the 1.5-litre TSI engine. 

However, overall the Audi A1 Sportback is a very reliable car from the reports with had so far, with Audi as a brand scoring an above-average 9.12 out of 10 for reliability in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index.

Take the lowest cost route into Audi A1 Sportback ownership with the 25 TFSI Technik model, and it sits in group 16 for insurance. This won’t be cheap when it comes to premiums for young drivers, but it’s not insurmountable.

Take our preferred 35 TFSI Sport and insurance jumps to group 25, while the 40 TFSI Competition sits in group 31. This makes the hot hatch version of the A1 Sportback affordable only for drivers with a few years of no claims built up, or where insurance is included in a lease deal.

Take a look at our guide to the cheapest Audi models to insure if you're looking for what other Audis offer the most affordable insurance premiums.

Audi has equipped the A1 Sportback to a high level as standard, and the entry-level Technik has 15-inch alloy wheels, LED lights front and rear, as well as dynamic rear indicators that scroll across the lense when illuminating. You also get the 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit instruments, 8.8-inch colour touchscreen with voice control, electric front windows, air conditioning, and cloth upholstery.

Pick the Sport and it adds 16-inch alloys, front Sports seats, cruise control and rear parking sensors. It also comes with Audi Drive Select to offer Dynamic, Efficiency, Individual and Auto modes for the how the steering, engine and gearbox respond.

The S Line gets 17-inch alloys, along with unique bumpers, front spoiler and sports seats. It also has firmer Sport suspension, which is shared with the Contrast Edition that is painted in Python Yellow with a black roof. The Contrast also has 18-inch wheels, darkened headlight lenses, rear privacy glass and part-Alcantara upholstery. Take the Style Edition and you get different 18-inch wheels, a bronze-finished Audi grille badge and leather upholstery.

The S Line Competition is the only car in the range to use the 40 TFSI 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine with 200PS. It also comes with its own red-painted brake calipers and adjustable dampers to let the driver select either comfort or sport settings.

Lastly, the Vorsprung version of the A1 Sportback gets ambient interior lighting, climate control and Audi’s MMI Navigation Plus system with larger 10.1-inch infotainment screen. This model also comes with wireless phone charging and a Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System stereo, park assist, rear view camera and Adaptive Speed Assistant to regulate the car’s distance to the vehicle in front in traffic queues.