Audi A4 MOT failure rate and common faults
230,864 Audi A4 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 26.4% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 30.3% of the time, which makes the Audi A4 13% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
26.4%
failed first time
230,864 MOT tests in 2025
-13%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 30.3%
76 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
113.2
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 110.5
What fails on a Audi A4 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 A4 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 | 49.3 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 42.1 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 35.0 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 32.8 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 23.0 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 21.0 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 19.0 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 19.0 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 17.4 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 16.8 |
Audi A4 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 | 6,712 | 12.3% | 11.4% | 32,100 |
| 2021 | 7,139 | 12.3% | 12.8% | 43,400 |
| 2020 | 8,442 | 12.5% | 14.1% | 49,200 |
| 2019 | 13,109 | 16.3% | 16.5% | 57,900 |
| 2018 | 13,518 | 20.1% | 19.1% | 66,400 |
| 2017 | 21,023 | 21.1% | 21.8% | 79,600 |
| 2016 | 21,683 | 21.5% | 25.1% | 90,700 |
| 2015 | 16,062 | 26.3% | 28.1% | 100,500 |
| 2014 | 16,511 | 27.3% | 31.4% | 109,700 |
| 2013 | 15,555 | 27.5% | 34.3% | 116,600 |
| 2012 | 12,874 | 29.1% | 36.6% | 126,500 |
| 2011 | 13,129 | 31.4% | 38.8% | 136,000 |
| 2010 | 12,052 | 34.1% | 40.7% | 140,400 |
| 2009 | 11,447 | 35.1% | 41.8% | 142,400 |
| 2008 | 13,087 | 37.2% | 42.9% | 139,900 |
| 2007 | 12,415 | 35.9% | 42.7% | 136,200 |
| 2006 | 10,426 | 37.1% | 43.0% | 136,500 |
| 2005 | 5,680 | 37.9% | 42.4% | 138,400 |
Advisories to look for in a Audi A4'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 A4, 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 edge325.0
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement242.5
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened109.2
- Brake pads: wearing thin100.8
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing75.5
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil60.1
Checking a used Audi A4 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Audi A4 fails more often than average on tyres. Start there.
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 A4 cars tested: Diesel 66%, Petrol 34%. Average age at test 11.4 years, average recorded mileage 103,700.
Audi A4 MOT questions
What is the Audi A4 MOT failure rate?
26.4% of Audi A4 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 230,864 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 30.3% of the time, so the Audi A4 was 13% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Audi A4 MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 147 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 49.3 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Audi A4 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2012 registrations did best: 29.1% failed against an average of 36.6% 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 A4 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Audi A4 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 A4
- Saab 9-3rank 73
- Skoda Yetirank 74
- Smart Fortworank 75
- Hyundai Ioniqrank 77
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 A4 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.