Audi engine codes: what they mean

Getting confused by the ever-growing list of code names car manufacturers are coming up with to refer to their latest models? If all the technology acronyms weren't bad enough, even telling one car from another can prove tricky sometimes. If you're struggling to get a clear idea of which Audi you'd like to buy, we've broken down what all those letters and numbers mean for you.

Buying a car can sometimes feel complicated, especially if you're trying to decipher Audi's engine codes. You can't just buy an Audi A3, in fact if you take a look at the latest version of Audi's family hatchback, you'll have a broad catalogue of A3s to choose from, such as the Audi A3 35 TFSI S line S tronic.

So what on earth does all that mean? Well, it is quite simple, but it's much less simple than it could be. The 'Audi A3' bit is easy enough to understand, and 'S line' refers to the style of the car and the amount of tech on board. It's known as a 'trim', and there are five trims to choose from with the A3: from Technik (the cheapest), through Sport, S line, Edition 1 and Vorsprung (the most expensive). The final 'S tronic' part indicates that this particular car is fitted with Audi's slick automatic gearbox.

The complicated bit comes when you get to the '35 TFSI' part. This indicates which engine is fitted under the bonnet of a particular model, but it doesn't do a very helpful job if you're new to this kind of thing. Let's dig into the details of what it all means.

Audi offers a broad range of engines, with certain models being available with certain engines. In the case of the A3, you have the choice of a 30 TFSI, a 30 TDI, a 35 TFSI, a 35 TDI, a 40 TFSI and a 40 TDI. The TFSI acronym refers to a petrol engine, and the TDI refers to diesel, but what do all the numbers mean?

In autumn 2017, the Audi ditched its numerical badging system which consisted of '2.0' referring to a 2.0-litre engine, and replaced it with a new system that uses this complicated coding format.

This system doesn't take into account the size of the engine, only the power output. In the simplest terms, the smaller the number, the less powerful the engine. So while a 35 TFSI is a 1.5-litre petrol engine and the 35 TDI is a 2.0-litre diesel engine, they both produce a similar amount of power... still with us?

This all may seem a little unnecessary, but the reason the German brand has seen fit to use this new naming system is understandable. It comes down to the fact that the size of the engine has less bearing on the amount of power it produces than it used to. A small, yet turbocharged 1.0-litre engine can produce more power than a standard 1.4-litre alternative.

It does make sense, therefore, to order engines according to their power output instead. Although you'll see from the tables below that each of these engine categories features plenty of variety; they may share the same engine number, but an Audi A3 40 TFSI doesn't produce the same amount of power as an Audi A5 40 TFSI.

Generally speaking, the engine power outputs can be categorised as such:

So if you're looking for a more powerful engine that will offer more performance, an Audi model with a higher engine number is likely to be your pick. More sizeable models such as the A8 or Q7 are only available with larger and more powerful engines, so you don't need to worry about accidentally picking an SUV with a small engine.

A range of plug-in hybrid models are also available, and these follow the same naming format with higher numbers for higher power outputs, although these follow their own rules and do not necessarily match the brackets shown above.

It's also worth noting that the Audi e-tron range of electric cars present their power outputs in Kilowatts (kW), so these will be different from the standard 'hp' measurements. In terms of conversion, 100kW is equal to around 134hp, and the numbered e-tron motors do fit roughly within the brackets shown above. An Audi Q4 35 e-tron, for example, produces 125kW (or 168hp).

Audi engine codes

Click below to find a list of engines available for each Audi model.

• Audi A1
• Audi A3
• Audi A4
• Audi A5
• Audi A6
• Audi A7
• Audi A8
• Audi Q2
• Audi Q3
• Audi Q4
• Audi Q5
• Audi Q7
• Audi Q8
• Audi e-tron
• Audi TT

Audi A1

Audi A3

Audi A4

Audi A5

Audi A6

Audi A7

Audi A8

Audi Q2

Audi Q3

Audi Q4

Audi Q5

Audi Q7

Audi Q8

Audi e-tron

Audi TT