Audi A3 MOT failure rate and common faults
413,536 Audi A3 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 23.9% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 28.8% of the time, which makes the Audi A3 17% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
23.9%
failed first time
413,536 MOT tests in 2025
-17%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 28.8%
62 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
105.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 105.9
What fails on a Audi A3 MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Audi A3 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 36.7 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 35.0 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 21.8 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 19.9 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 19.9 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 18.0 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 18.0 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 16.9 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 15.2 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 13.6 |
Audi A3 MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 17,795 | 10.9% | 11.4% | 28,900 |
| 2021 | 20,638 | 11.3% | 12.8% | 37,700 |
| 2020 | 15,748 | 11.8% | 14.1% | 40,900 |
| 2019 | 20,848 | 13.6% | 16.5% | 49,800 |
| 2018 | 26,914 | 13.3% | 19.1% | 57,000 |
| 2017 | 33,694 | 15.0% | 21.8% | 66,800 |
| 2016 | 38,661 | 17.2% | 25.1% | 75,300 |
| 2015 | 41,447 | 19.7% | 28.1% | 85,300 |
| 2014 | 38,535 | 22.6% | 31.4% | 94,500 |
| 2013 | 26,943 | 26.7% | 34.3% | 105,200 |
| 2012 | 24,819 | 34.4% | 36.6% | 113,800 |
| 2011 | 20,441 | 35.3% | 38.8% | 121,400 |
| 2010 | 22,996 | 37.8% | 40.7% | 120,300 |
| 2009 | 20,055 | 37.6% | 41.8% | 125,800 |
| 2008 | 16,149 | 40.8% | 42.9% | 130,300 |
| 2007 | 12,120 | 41.3% | 42.7% | 136,000 |
| 2006 | 9,681 | 43.7% | 43.0% | 137,700 |
| 2005 | 6,052 | 43.8% | 42.4% | 137,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Audi A3's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Audi A3, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge293.1
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened128.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing112.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin93.4
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement85.7
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil65.7
Checking a used Audi A3 before you buy
The Audi A3 has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Audi A3 cars tested: Petrol 51%, Diesel 46%, Hybrid 3%. Average age at test 10.6 years, average recorded mileage 87,500.
Audi A3 MOT questions
What is the Audi A3 MOT failure rate?
23.9% of Audi A3 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 413,536 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 28.8% of the time, so the Audi A3 was 17% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Audi A3 MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 128 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 36.7 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Audi A3 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2016 registrations did best: 17.2% failed against an average of 25.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Audi A3 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Audi A3 tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Audi models
Ranked close to the Audi A3
- Mini Cooperrank 59
- Volkswagen Golfrank 60
- Skoda Citigorank 61
- Volkswagen Tiguanrank 63
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Audi A3 cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.