The sleek-looking Audi A3 Cabriolet goes on sale in May with prices starting from £20,750.

Standard features on the Audi A3 Cabriolet – which was announced last November – include 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning and a semi-automatic hood which is released from the windscreen rail manually but retracts and raises at the touch of a button.

More pictures of the Audi A3 Cabriolet

Customers who splash out £1,850 for the Sport spec get 17-inch alloys, sports suspension, sports seats and a fully automatic roof which opens in 11 seconds at speeds of up to 19mph.

The trim-topping S line gets 18-inch wheels and sporty bodykit – at a £1,550 premium over the Sport trim.

There will be a choice of a 1.8- and 2-litre petrol engine producing 156bhp and 196bhp respectively and more frugal 1.9 and 2-litre diesel engines.

At 85mph, Audi claim the Sport and S line trims – thanks to their extra roof insulation – have an increase in cabin noise of just 1 decibel over the hatchback counterpart. (Read our review of the A3 hatchback).

The Audi A3 Cabriolet will be going up against the BMW 1 Series convertible which goes on sale in next month with the baby Beemer available with the choice of four petrol engines and one diesel with prices starting from £22,235.

On sale in May, prices for the Audi A3 Cabriolet start from £20,750 for the entry-level 1.9-litre diesel model rising to £27,060 for the range-topping 2-litre petrol S line.