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MOT fail rates

Audi A5 MOT fail rate by age

How often the Audi A5 fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 501,056 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 7 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 7 (n=44,668)18.5%
All cars at 7 years (n=10,537,318)20.6%
Median mileage at test60,304
All cars, median mileage52,953

156 of 330 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 7 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Audi A5 fails 11.6% of MOTs (25,388 tests), about the same as the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 18 years it fails 28.9% (1,168 tests), 14.3 points below the 43.3% average.
  • The gap is widest at 18 years: 14.3 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 7 years: Coil spring broken, at 3.7 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 18 years 47.6%

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

Audi A5: 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 years11.6%25,38812.1%−0.5 pts24,936 miles
4 years11.8%32,34513.4%−1.5 pts32,532 miles
5 years13.3%40,95515.3%−2.1 pts41,458 miles
6 years15.9%44,33117.8%−1.9 pts50,368 miles
7 years18.5%44,66820.6%−2.2 pts60,304 miles
8 years19.9%43,76923.8%−3.9 pts70,096 miles
9 years21.6%40,68027.1%−5.5 pts79,993 miles
10 years23.3%41,82230.3%−7.0 pts88,678 miles
11 years24.9%41,12233.3%−8.3 pts96,511 miles
12 years26.8%40,95736.0%−9.2 pts103,791 miles
13 years28.3%36,12638.3%−9.9 pts110,398 miles
14 years29.7%30,65340.3%−10.5 pts116,796 miles
15 years30.2%21,39541.6%−11.4 pts123,390 miles
16 years29.8%10,84142.6%−12.8 pts128,884 miles
17 years30.6%4,83643.1%−12.5 pts134,155 miles
18 years28.9%1,16843.3%−14.3 pts140,660 miles

Most common fail items at 7 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
Coil spring broken Major3.7
Shock absorber leaking Major1.5
Suspension arm bush worn Major0.9
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Major0.8

Out of 44,668 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous4.4
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous2.7
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major2.2
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous1.7
Wipers not clearing screen Major1.3
Tyre condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous0.8

Out of 44,668 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 7 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Audi A314.8%143,64820.6%
Audi A120.1%92,94620.6%
Audi A419.8%74,44820.6%

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
200718 years in 202528.9%1,16843.3%
200817 years in 202531.5%3,49743.1%
200916 years in 202529.8%5,37242.6%
201015 years in 202530.4%9,46541.6%
201114 years in 202529.7%9,26240.3%
201213 years in 202526.3%8,97538.3%
201312 years in 202526.1%10,42536.0%
201411 years in 202523.6%10,50233.3%
201510 years in 202522.0%10,24030.3%
20169 years in 202521.2%8,30027.1%
20178 years in 202520.0%13,86223.8%
20187 years in 202518.5%11,44120.6%
20196 years in 202515.9%9,90117.8%
20205 years in 202513.0%4,82715.3%
20214 years in 202512.1%5,31913.4%

More on the Audi A5

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 A5?

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