Features / 30 April 2026 / Warren Hawkins

Audi A1 on its way out – Here’s what you can buy instead

With Audi admitting that the A1 has reached the final stage of its lifecycle, fans of the hatchback will soon need to look to the rest of South Africa’s hatchback fraternity for a replacement.

The hatchback arrived in South Africa in 2011 and has received several facelifts and updates since then, before being replaced by the A1 Sportback, whose newest iterations are still on sale today.

The latest version of the German hatchback features three derivatives – the Advanced, the recently launched S Line, and the Black Edition – with prices ranging from R530,900 to R593,390.

All of these are fitted with the same turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol motor and seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.

This setup produces 85kW and 200Nm, which it sends to the front wheels, achieving a 4.8l/100km fuel economy, a 9.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration, and a top speed of 203km/h.

When looking for the hatchback’s rivals, TopAuto narrowed down our search to options priced between R450,000 and R550,000, with turbocharged petrol engines, automatic transmissions, and two driven wheels.

This left only four true rivals for the outgoing Audi A1, these being the Hyundai i20 N Line, Opel Corsa GS Line, Suzuki Swift Sport, and the VW Polo R-Line.

The option most similar to the A1, unsurprisingly, is the Polo R-Line, which features an identical turbocharged 1.0-litre motor and a seven-speed gearbox, producing 85kW and 200Nm.

It is slightly less efficient at 5.4l/100km, and also struggles to keep up with the A1, albeit only just, with a 9.7-second 0-100km/h acceleration, and a slightly lower top speed of 200km/h.

The Suzuki Swift Sport features the most powerful powertrain on the list, as its turbocharged 1.4-litre motor produces 103kW and 230Nm, enabling a sprightly 8.0-second 0-100km/h acceleration time.

Its top end is 205km/h, just barely beating the A1, while its fuel consumption is also much lower at an average of 6.1l/100km.

The cars that will take the Audi A1’s place

All of the hatchbacks on the list are considerably more affordable than the outgoing Audi A1, despite boasting very similar specifications and performance.

Below are the cars that seem likeliest to fill the gap left behind when the German hatchback does eventually leave the South African market.

Click on their underlined prices to learn more about each model.