Audi A1 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Audi A1 took 209,408 MOT tests in Britain and passed 78% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 209,408
First-time pass rate: 78%
All cars: 71%

What the A1 fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Suspension7.2% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres7.1% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics5.1% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes4.1% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility2.2% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions1.5% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure1.4% (all cars 3.5%)
Seat belts and airbags0.7% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Coil spring: fractured or broken 2.9%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 2.7%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.5%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.9%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.6%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.3%
Headlamp aim: too low 1.0%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 0.9%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 17.9%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 12.8%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 9.6%
Brake pads: wearing thin 7.8%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 6.9%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 2.4%
Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.4%
Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 2.2%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
2010	1,441	65%
2011	16,541	65%
2012	18,607	69%
2013	22,289	71%
2014	23,030	75%
2015	23,915	79%
2016	25,593	79%
2017	23,071	82%
2018	19,967	86%
2019	20,599	89%
2020	13,530	90%
2021	803	92%

Typical mileage by age

Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.

Age at test	Average mileage
3 years	21,206 miles
4 years	27,351 miles
5 years	33,723 miles
6 years	41,465 miles
7 years	49,519 miles
8 years	58,159 miles
9 years	64,896 miles
10 years	73,258 miles
11 years	81,430 miles
12 years	89,181 miles
13 years	90,852 miles

Check a particular A1

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Audi models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.