Audi S4 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Audi S4 took 2,368 MOT tests in Britain and passed 83% 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: 2,368
First-time pass rate: 83%
All cars: 71%

What the S4 fails on

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

Tyres6.4% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics4.5% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension4.2% (all cars 9.0%)
Exhaust and emissions2.3% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure1.9% (all cars 3.5%)
Brakes1.5% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility1.5% (all cars 4.8%)
Seat belts and airbags0.9% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.0%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.8%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.5%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.4%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 1.2%
Headlamp aim: too high 1.2%
Headlamp aim: too low 0.9%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 0.9%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 15.1%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 6.9%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 6.8%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.6%
Brake pads: wearing thin 4.8%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 3.0%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 2.2%
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 2.0%

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	31,205 miles
4 years	36,142 miles
12 years	89,569 miles
13 years	99,533 miles
14 years	96,842 miles
17 years	101,339 miles
18 years	104,967 miles
19 years	103,531 miles

Check a particular S4

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.