Audi A3 Sportback e-tron price and specs – costs £34,950

The Audi A3 Sportback e-Tron plug-in hybrid goes on sale for £34,950 and comes with official economy of 176.6mpg. First deliveries Jan 2015.

If governments are going to base car taxation on Co2 emissions, then car makers are going to build cars that ‘game’ the official tests. A perfect example of which is the new Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid.

It’s expensive at £34,950 (although the government bribe for plug-ins does drop the price you pay to £29,950), but thanks to its ‘up to 31 miles’ range on battery power only it comes complete with official economy of 176.6 mpg and emissions of 37g/km.

Of course, you’ll never come close to those numbers – although if you’re light-footed you can probably pop to the shops in EV mode – and on any sort of journey of any length you’re likely to see economy figures closer to the 55mpg of the normal A3 Sportback with the same 1.4 TSI engine as the e-tron.

In the e-tron, the 1.4 TSI delivers 150 PS and is teamed with a 75kW electric motor to drive the front wheels through a specially-developed six-speed S tronic ‘box.

You have a choice of four driving modes from EV (just to electric motor), Hybrid Auto, Hybrid Hold and Hybrid Charge, and if you shove your foot to the floor both motors are brought in to play to boost performance (and will disengage and coast after you lift your foot to prevent engine braking) to deliver 204PS.

That performance is a more than adequate 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 137mph, with the electric motor capable of getting to 81mph on its own.

Spec for the A3 Sportback e-tron is based on the A3 Sport trim with extra exterior cosmetic tweaks, LED headlights and daytime running lights, unique 17″ alloys, auto lights and wipers, rear parking sensors and MMI, but you do compromise boot space with a drop of 100 litres needed to accommodate the electric bits.

The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid goes on sale early August with first UK deliveries expected in January 2015.