Audi Q5 MOT failure rate and common faults
117,646 Audi Q5 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 16.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 23.4% of the time, which makes the Audi Q5 30% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
16.3%
failed first time
117,646 MOT tests in 2025
-30%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 23.4%
21 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
57.0
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 90.6
What fails on a Audi Q5 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 Q5 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 28.2 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 26.8 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 23.4 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 18.0 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 17.9 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 17.6 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 14.4 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 13.6 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 11.1 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 10.3 |
Audi Q5 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 | 9,578 | 7.3% | 11.4% | 29,500 |
| 2021 | 11,398 | 9.3% | 12.8% | 38,300 |
| 2020 | 8,766 | 9.3% | 14.1% | 46,300 |
| 2019 | 11,966 | 10.8% | 16.5% | 53,800 |
| 2018 | 13,091 | 13.4% | 19.1% | 61,500 |
| 2017 | 9,955 | 17.6% | 21.8% | 70,600 |
| 2016 | 11,158 | 17.3% | 25.1% | 81,200 |
| 2015 | 10,357 | 18.1% | 28.1% | 89,500 |
| 2014 | 8,536 | 20.3% | 31.4% | 97,700 |
| 2013 | 6,006 | 22.9% | 34.3% | 107,200 |
| 2012 | 4,439 | 25.1% | 36.6% | 112,700 |
| 2011 | 5,254 | 28.4% | 38.8% | 120,800 |
| 2010 | 3,447 | 31.2% | 40.7% | 128,600 |
| 2009 | 3,541 | 33.4% | 41.8% | 135,600 |
Advisories to look for in a Audi Q5'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 Q5, 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 edge278.8
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement178.2
- Brake pads: wearing thin124.4
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing63.4
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened60.5
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively44.4
Checking a used Audi Q5 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Audi Q5 fails more often than average on body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts. Start there.
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts
Turn the steering to full lock and look behind each front wheel: the rubber boots on the drive shafts should be whole, with no grease sprayed around. Then get down with a torch and check the exhaust hangers, sills, floor and subframes for rust.
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 Q5 cars tested: Diesel 73%, Petrol 23%, Hybrid 5%. Average age at test 8.3 years, average recorded mileage 73,600.
Audi Q5 MOT questions
What is the Audi Q5 MOT failure rate?
16.3% of Audi Q5 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 117,646 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 23.4% of the time, so the Audi Q5 was 30% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Audi Q5 MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 64 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded 28.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Audi Q5 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 7.3% failed against an average of 11.4% 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 Q5 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Audi Q5 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 Q5
- Range Roverrank 18
- BMW 5 Seriesrank 19
- BMW X5rank 22
- Mercedes-Benz MLrank 23
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 Q5 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.