Is our Omoda 9 better than an Audi Q3? They cost the same, but they’re very different

This is our Omoda 9, a plug-in hybrid SUV which social content producer Tommy Allen has been living with for the last four months. He’s very impressed with this car, but it’s got me thinking about the alternatives.

The Omoda has a really posh interior and loads of luxury features, but at £45,000 it costs about the same as an Audi Q3 PHEV, a car which is much smaller.

So it seems like a no-brainer. You’d buy the Omoda 9, right? Well there’s more to it than that, and after driving both cars I’m going to compare them on interior quality, technology, practicality and the driving experience.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

Omoda 9 vs Audi Q3: prices, specs and deals

Let’s start by talking about money. Very gauche I know, but it’s important.

The Audi Q3 e-hybrid starts from £46,550. You can also get a non-hybrid version for just under £40,000, but seeing as the Omoda 9 is only available as a PHEV, it’s only fair to compare like-for-like.

You can save an average of £2,700 on a new Q3 through Carwow at the time of writing, and lease prices start from around £500 per month.

On the other hand, the Omoda 9 costs £44,995 and you can save an average of £3,100 through Carwow. Leasing prices start from just over £400 per month.

So the Omoda is undoubtedly cheaper than the Audi, but what are you actually getting for your money? Well with the Omoda 9, it’s quite a lot.

There are no trim levels or optional extras to wade through, you just pick a colour and everything else comes as standard. All cars get a surround-view camera, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic glass roof, heated and ventilated front and rear seats, adaptive cruise control and a head-up display. That’s a lot of luxury features for the money.

The Audi Q3 isn’t exactly spartan either. As standard you get heated front seats, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, interior ambient lighting, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, it’s still not as generously equipped as the Omoda.

So on the value front, the Omoda is in the lead.

Omoda 9 vs Audi Q3: interior and technology

It’s all well and good being packed with kit, but does the Omoda 9 feel posh enough inside to rival the Audi?

Well in short, yes. Everything in the Omoda feels really solid and nicely damped, with the exception of the tacky-looking steering wheel buttons – which are gloss black and pick up fingerprints like nobody’s business. Other than that, it feels really high-quality.

You get leatherette on the dashboard, door cards and centre console with intricate stitching, and the seats are pretty lovely as well. The only major thing letting this cabin down is the infotainment screen, because both Tommy and I have found it to be frustrating at times.

It may have physical knobs for the climate control, but the heated seat controls are buried in one too many sub menus. The screen itself is also quite laggy and slow to respond. You can bypass this using the voice controls, which work well most of the time, but I’m of the opinion that this doesn’t make up for a poor user interface.

So what about the Audi? Well it has a much better touchscreen, but it also does without proper buttons for most features. At least the screen is easier to use than the Omoda’s, with things like the heated seats living permanently at the bottom.

On the whole it feels nice and solid, but the design doesn’t look quite as posh. I’m not a fan of the weird letterbox digital driver’s display either, which is way too narrow and has a massive bezel around it.

There are areas where the Q3 feels flimsier than the Omoda as well, mostly the centre console. The cover for the storage cubby feels downright nasty, and I found the console creaks slightly when my knee presses up against it. These are small details, but they’re ones you’ll notice.

So it’s pretty close between these two cars, but I’m going to give the win to the Omoda 9, despite its annoying technology. The interior just feels way more posh than the price tag would suggest.

Omoda 9 vs Audi Q3: practicality

We can keep this brief, because the Omoda 9 is over 24cm longer than the Audi Q3 and 6cm wider. Naturally then, it’s much more spacious inside.

That’s not to say the Audi is cramped though. Considering this is the brand’s smallest SUV, following the recent demise of the Audi Q2, it’s impressively spacious inside. You get more legroom than in a Mercedes GLA, but the Omoda is roomier still. You also get heated and ventilated rear seats, so your passengers will feel like proper VIPs.

The 660-litre boot also dwarfs the Audi’s 375-litre capacity. You can get 488 litres in the Q3 by going for the petrol model over the PHEV, and the Q3 has handy sliding rear seats to liberate even more boot space.

I’m not saying the Audi Q3 is impractical, because for a small SUV it’s impressively spacious, but for similar money the Omoda 9 is roomier still.

Omoda 9 vs Audi Q3: engines and driving

On paper. The Omoda 9 gets off to a good start in this category. It has a 1.5-litre petrol hybrid engine with a whopping 449hp, making the 272hp you get from the Audi Q3 e-hybrid seem a bit naff.

The two cars are pretty close in terms of electric range though. The Omoda 9 will do up to 93 miles on electric power alone, whereas the Audi tops out at 74 miles. These two are among the longest-range PHEVs on the market.

But the numbers don’t tell the full story, because out on the road there is a night and day difference between these two cars.

The Omoda 9 is fine to drive as long as you’re on a reasonably smooth, straight road. It’s quite a relaxing motorway cruiser, but on a country road it’s not great. It manages to wallow around through corners, but also crash over potholes at the same time. The steering is also devoid of any feel, which doesn’t give you the confidence to exploit all 449hp.

You can tell that Audi devoted a lot of time and money to setting up the suspension on this car, because it feels pretty much spot on. It’s way more composed over bumpy roads, and the steering feels precise and accurate.

Plug-in hybrid SUVs don’t need to drive like sports cars, but I do prefer the Audi Q3 from behind the wheel. The controls just feel nicer and more intuitive, and it feels more secure than the floaty Omoda 9.

Omoda 9 vs Audi Q3: my final verdict

So then, is our Omoda 9 really a better buy than the Audi Q3?

Well if it were my money, I’d buy the Audi. The way a car drives is very important to me, and I just didn’t get on with the Omoda’s wallowy ride and vague steering. The Q3 also has a better infotainment system.

However, not everyone is as fussed about driving dynamics as I am. The Omoda 9 drives fine, if not as nicely as the Audi, and it comes with more equipment, a posher interior and more interior space. It’s basically an Audi Q5 rival for the price of a Q3, and that makes it a bit of a bargain.

So if value for money is your top priority, you should definitely check out the Omoda 9.

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