In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Avalon are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A3 doesn't offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Avalon Limited/Touring offers optional Rear Cross-Traffic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The A3 doesn't offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Avalon Limited/Touring offers an optional Bird's Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The A3 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn't help with obstacles to the sides.

The Avalon has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle's blind spots where the side view mirrors don't reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the A3's blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Avalon has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the A3.

Both the Avalon and the A3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Avalon the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 145 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A3 has not been tested, yet.

Toyota's powertrain warranty covers the Avalon 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Avalon for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A3.

There are over 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Avalon's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 83 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 32nd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Audi is ranked 14th.

The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 100 more horsepower (301 vs. 201) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 221) than the A3's 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A3 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Avalon XLE's standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the A3 FWD's standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Avalon Limited/Touring's standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the A3 Quattro's standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 14.5 gallons).

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Avalon, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the A3.

For better traction, the Avalon Limited's tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A3 (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Avalon Touring has standard 19-inch wheels. The A3's largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Avalon has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn't available on the A3; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 9.5 inches longer than on the A3 (113 inches vs. 103.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 3.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the A3.

The Avalon Touring uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The A3 doesn't offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Avalon a Mid-size car, while the A3 is rated a Subcompact.

The Avalon has 17.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A3 (104.3 vs. 87).

The Avalon has .6 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 5.1 inches more rear legroom and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the A3.

The Avalon has a much larger trunk than the A3 (16.1 vs. 10.9 cubic feet).

The Avalon's sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The A3's visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Both the Avalon and the A3 have standard heated front seats. The Avalon Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren't available in the A3.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Avalon Limited/Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The A3 doesn't offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Avalon Limited/Touring's standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The A3 doesn't offer a heated steering wheel.

The Toyota Avalon has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

The Toyota Avalon outsold the Audi A3/S3/RS 3 by almost five to one during the 2021 model year.