Is the Audi A3 convertible?

If you're looking to take advantage of the warmer weather and sunny skies, you'll be wanting to trade up and possibly secure yourself a trendy convertible to make you're being seen. The Audi A3 was available in a convertible format but only between specific years and in certain generations.

The Audi A3, in some shape or form, has been with us since the late 90s, 1996 to be exact. At the time it was a rather radical break away from the Audis we knew at the time but wasn’t the first time we had seen a hatchback Audi either. This first generation, the 8L, leveraged the relationship with Volkswagen and borrowed many components from the Golf IV.

Over the course of the years, the A3 has been presented in a variety of forms with the first version only available in either 3-door or 5-door hatchback formats. The original 8L was replaced by the 8P in 2004. This model saw additional engine options that included a 2.0-litre offering (where the largest engine in the 8L A3 was a 1.8-litre turbo) as well as diesel variants. This 8P generation was available in 3- and 5-door hatchback arrangement as well as a 2-door convertible version.

The convertible returned in the third generation, the type 8V, that was released in 2012 for the 2013 model year. This was also the first time that we were given the Audi A3 sedan. It completed the lineup of 3-door, 5-door, 2-door convertible and 4-door sedan. This model ran until 2020 when it was replaced by the current, type 8Y, fourth-generation Audi A3.

The current lineup consists of only two derivative, a 5-door Sportback hatchback and a 4-door sedan. No mention has been made of a convertible version as yet for this generation.

If you’re looking for an Audi A3 convertible, you will be searching for models between 2004 and 2020.

Chad LückhoffWith over 18 years of motorsport commentary and a passion for 90s Japanese Sports Cars, Chad Lückhoff is happiest when surrounded by drift cars and smoking tyres. His experience as the Technical Editor of the country’s top tuning magazine means that it’s the nuts and bolts of motoring that tickles his fancy. As comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind it, he’ll take you behind the wheel with his video reviews, written recounts, and invoking photography. One of the first to join the AutoTrader fray, Chad has been living his passion at AutoTrader for over 7-years.View News & Reviews