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MOT fail rates

Audi A1 MOT fail rate by age

How often the Audi A1 fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 865,891 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 8 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 8 (n=95,968)22.1%
All cars at 8 years (n=10,440,457)23.8%
Median mileage at test54,915
All cars, median mileage60,745

170 of 315 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 8 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Audi A1 fails 9.7% of MOTs (64,380 tests), 2.3 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 15 years it fails 34.7% (1,355 tests), 6.9 points below the 41.6% average.
  • The gap is widest at 15 years: 6.9 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 8 years: Suspension arm bush worn, at 5.4 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 15 years 45.7%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Audi A1: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years9.7%64,38012.1%−2.3 pts19,995 miles
4 years10.7%68,54213.4%−2.7 pts26,206 miles
5 years13.4%77,15015.3%−2.0 pts32,691 miles
6 years17.3%89,60917.8%−0.5 pts39,820 miles
7 years20.1%92,94620.6%−0.5 pts47,050 miles
8 years22.1%95,96823.8%−1.6 pts54,915 miles
9 years25.0%95,11327.1%−2.1 pts62,840 miles
10 years27.2%87,85730.3%−3.1 pts70,699 miles
11 years30.3%80,83733.3%−2.9 pts78,279 miles
12 years33.1%58,89036.0%−2.9 pts85,434 miles
13 years34.1%36,04538.3%−4.2 pts91,990 miles
14 years35.8%17,19940.3%−4.4 pts97,893 miles
15 years34.7%1,35541.6%−6.9 pts100,524 miles

Most common fail items at 8 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Suspension arm bush worn Major5.4
Coil spring broken Major2.6
Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn Major1.4

Out of 95,968 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous3.7
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous2.2
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major1.7
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous1.6
Headlamp aim: too low Major1.2
Tyre condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous0.9
Headlight aimed too high Major0.9

Out of 95,968 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 8 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Audi A317.0%155,58823.8%
Audi A421.7%77,54823.8%
Audi Q317.6%60,78923.8%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
201015 years in 202534.7%1,35341.6%
201114 years in 202535.8%15,79040.3%
201213 years in 202533.2%18,27938.3%
201312 years in 202532.8%22,25236.0%
201411 years in 202528.4%22,96733.3%
201510 years in 202525.8%23,56330.3%
20169 years in 202525.8%25,50027.1%
20178 years in 202522.9%22,94523.8%
20187 years in 202520.2%19,96220.6%
20196 years in 202515.8%20,57017.8%
20205 years in 202512.4%13,38915.3%
20214 years in 202510.3%14,16213.4%
20223 years in 20259.4%15,10412.1%

More on the Audi A1

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Looking at one Audi A1?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources