With so many buyers opting for smallish family SUVs, this segment is especially competitive.
Models like the Mercedes GLA and Audi Q3 are small enough to slip through the urban jungle without hassle, but have enough space inside for you, your kids, and all the clutter that comes with them.
We'll pit these two top-tier German SUVs against each other to help you pick the one that's right for you. Once you've chosen, find out how much you could save by shopping used Mercedes GLA or used Audi Q3 cars at Motorpoint.
Mercedes GLA vs Audi Q3 compared
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Styling and design
Both Mercedes and Audi have a corporate 'look' at the moment, with the GLA and Q3 each exemplifying this. For the Mercedes, you get rounded, organic styling with a curved roofline and gently dished flanks. Combine that with the GLA's fairly low ride height and roofline, and you have something that looks closer to an oversized hatchback than an off-road inspired SUV. AMG Line trim is popular in the UK market, bringing large alloy wheels and a sportier body kit.
The Q3, in comparison, looks a bit more like a traditional off-roader. The lines are straighter and you'll find harder angles across its bodywork, along with the company's signature bluff front grille to help the car look imposing. Keep an eye out for S Line cars, which get a sportier look thanks to the more muscular bumpers and oversized alloys. Audi shoppers will also encounter the Q3 Sportback, which is marginally longer than the standard Q3 and has a sloping coupe-like roofline.
In person, the Q3 looks like the larger car thanks to its more squared-off styling. As for the actual footprint, the GLA's 4,410mm length is a fraction down on the Q3's 4,484mm figure, and its 1,834mm width is a touch below the Audi's 1,856mm measurement.
Interior and practicality
Both SUVs live up to their premium billing, with plush materials and a modern, upmarket design. Your taste is likely to have a bigger impact on which cabin you prefer, as build quality feels broadly similar. The Mercedes has a few more curves and rounded elements to its design, while the Audi has straighter lines and sharper angles. You'll also notice the GLA has both its infotainment system and digital driver's dials in one widescreen dash-top pod, while the Q3 has a slightly more traditional setup with digital dials in a binnacle and a separate screen.
Speaking of the infotainment systems, once again your personal preference will play a role here as both cars deliver mostly the same fundamental features. It's worth mentioning that the Audi comes standard with its most-impressive screen setup – a 10.1-inch central touchscreen and its 10.25-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' digital dials. The Mercedes, however, gets a pair of oddly small screens with a thick black bezel on entry-level cars – you have to upgrade to AMG Line Premium trim to swap them both for the slicker 10.25-inch dual-screen setup. Disappointingly, entry-level GLAs also miss out on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the Q3 gets them as standard. A facelift in 2024 brought the largest screen setup and smartphone mirroring to all GLAs as standard.
As for practicality, it's reasonably close but the Audi takes the win. The Mercedes' cabin is usefully larger than the A-Class hatch it's based on, but you'll still come close to its maximum capacity if you want to carry tall adults in both rows. Those tall adults won't find a night-and-day improvement in the Q3, but there's better rear-seat access and headroom thanks to a roofline that doesn't slope as sharply backwards as the GLA. The Mercedes' boot is a little smaller, too, with 495 litres against the Audi's 530-litre space – although the latter is also a more usefully square shape, which isn't reflected in the on-paper figures that only measure to the parcel shelf.
Engines and performance
German brands like these tend to copy each other's homework, so you'll find a selection of turbo petrol, diesel and plug-in-hybrid engines under the bonnet. If you're looking at the more affordable petrol options, we reckon the Mercedes is the one to go for. The 1.3-litre turbo engine in the GLA 180 and GLA 200 is more responsive and muscular than its modest capacity suggests. Meanwhile, the 1.5-litre turbo petrol in the Q3 35 TFSI can feel a little sluggish when it's off boost, needing a swift kick to the throttle pedal to wake up.
Mercedes has also opted to make the GLA automatic only, with a column-mounted gear selector freeing up space in the centre console. Audi offers the Q3 with the excellent S Tronic dual-clutch automatic, but you'll find a six-speed manual on more affordable cars, although there's no faulting the manual's light and positive shift action. Either way, we think both these cars are better suited to their auto 'boxes, with the Audi's feeling a touch more direct and mechanical, while the Mercedes tries to blur its gear changes together for a smoother sensation.
If you need your small, sensible family SUV that's also a fire-breathing performance car, then you're in luck. Both Mercedes and Audi offer super-spicy, four-wheel-drive versions of these models. The GLA comes in two flavours – the 306hp 35 AMG, which already offers more speed than most mere mortals can handle, or the totally unhinged 45 S AMG with 421hp. In the Audi camp, there's just the RS Q3, with its brawny 400hp five-cylinder engine – it might trail the GLA by a tenth or two, but it'll still scare you witless if you overuse the loud pedal.
Driving
Keen drivers looking for a fun small SUV should probably walk straight past the GLA and Q3, and try out the BMW X1, which is more athletic than the cars we're looking at today. Nevertheless, neither the Mercedes or Audi are bad to drive – quite the opposite – but they're just not as fun as their Bavarian rival.
If we had to pick one for a back-road blast, it'd probably be the Q3. Its S Tronic auto gearbox delivers crisper shifts and the car itself feels a little lighter on its feet through direction changes. The Mercedes is just a little softer, with a touch more roll as cornering forces grow, and slightly more slurred responses from its gearbox.
Both feel stable at speed and don't get knocked off line by mid-corner bumps. Over poor road surfaces, the GLA is slightly the softer of the two, but you probably won't notice that beyond a back-to-back comparison. Big bumps are felt a touch more obviously in the Q3, but we reckon both cars could do with being a touch softer in general. On the plus side, engine refinement is good in both – especially so if you pick a petrol-powered GLA.
Value and reliability
If you're shopping brand-new cars, the GLA comes up a little more expensive across the board. However, that difference is mostly erased once these models have spent a couple of years on the road, with used prices tracking each other closely. Be aware that more GLA models were priced above £40,000 when they were new, which means they'll have to pay the expensive car supplement from year two through year six on the road on top of regular road tax.
What's noteworthy about both is the steeper initial depreciation suffered by their plug-in-hybrid versions compared to regular petrol and diesel models. That means prices for these part-electrified models, which were much higher when the cars were new, fall mostly in-line with non-PHEV versions once they're a few number plates old. As a result, savvy shoppers with access to EV charging can bag a relative bargain by buying a used plug-in model.
As for dependability, Mercedes and Audi tend to return mid-table scores in reliability surveys. This partially reflects the fact that they're high-tech models with lots of features, with more things that could go wrong. Keeping up with scheduled maintenance should ensure years of trouble-free service for both cars, but expect to pay a little more for parts and labour as these are premium vehicles. You have the option to buy an extended warranty when shopping new or used, which protects you from the cost of unexpected electrical or mechanical failures.
Which is best?
There's really no obvious winner here, so your taste and preference should be your main guides. The Mercedes is perhaps the slightly posher, comfier car, although the Audi's infotainment experience is better if you're looking at more affordable versions. Most differences are simply split hairs, however, and you're unlikely to feel hard-done-by in either car.
If we were shopping with our own money, we'd probably pick a GLA 200 in AMG Line Premium trim – this is a smooth, punchy engine choice and gets the fanciest infotainment setup. However, if we were working with a tighter budget, the Q3 becomes a little more tempting as the Mercedes' entry-level infotainment screen looks a bit cheap.
See how much you could save by shopping Motorpoint's wide selection of used Mercedes GLA and used Audi Q3 cars. For more options, check out our picks for the best small SUVs on sale.
