Audi A5 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Audi A5 took 124,139 MOT tests in Britain and passed 79% 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: 124,139
First-time pass rate: 79%
All cars: 71%

What the A5 fails on

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

Tyres8.7% (all cars 6.4%)
Suspension5.4% (all cars 9.0%)
Lights and electrics4.8% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes3.2% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility2.8% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions1.9% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure1.8% (all cars 3.5%)
Number plates and VIN0.6% (all cars 0.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.4%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.3%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.9%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.8%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.6%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.5%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 1.4%
Headlamp aim: too low 1.2%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 20.8%
Brake pads: wearing thin 9.5%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 8.2%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 5.9%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.5%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.8%
Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.6%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 2.4%

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
2007	1,511	71%
2008	4,362	68%
2009	6,306	70%
2010	10,629	70%
2011	10,008	72%
2012	9,563	75%
2013	10,922	76%
2014	10,807	78%
2015	10,468	81%
2016	8,431	80%
2017	14,233	84%
2018	11,594	87%
2019	10,124	88%
2020	4,996	88%

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	26,902 miles
4 years	34,126 miles
5 years	43,972 miles
6 years	54,954 miles
7 years	65,230 miles
8 years	74,969 miles
9 years	84,962 miles
10 years	93,451 miles
11 years	100,874 miles
12 years	106,678 miles
13 years	114,866 miles
14 years	120,312 miles
15 years	129,074 miles
16 years	136,077 miles

Check a particular A5

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.