Audi A5: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi A5 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 3.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 118,544 individual Audi A5 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 80.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 20 in every 100 Audi A5s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Audi A5 tested had covered 86,445 miles and was built around 2014.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Audi A5 sits 3.7 points above the national average, ranked 1,424 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Audi A5 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Audi A5: £575 at UK salvage auction, from 28 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi A5

1. Headlamp levelling device inoperative, 0.5% of tests (3.56x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.9% of tests (1.75x the national rate for this defect)
3. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud, 0.5% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)
4. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.5% of tests (1.57x the national rate for this defect)
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 4.7% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 4% of tests (1.43x the national rate for this defect)
7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2.8% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.3% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.7% of tests

From 118,472 DVSA-tracked Audi A5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.63% of these flagged Audi A5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Audi A5

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Audi A5 before it actually fails on it.

1. A shock absorber which has negligible damping effect, 0.8% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 7.9% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 20.1% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 11.8% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.9% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 32.5% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 12.4% of tests, also fails
8. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 8.5% of tests
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.3% of tests, also fails
10. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 2.9% of tests

From 118,472 DVSA-tracked Audi A5 tests, 2024.

Audi A5 pass rate by model year

From its 2007 to its 2020 model year, the Audi A5's first-time pass rate has risen 12.6 points, from 76% to 88.6%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Audi A5 year:

• 2007 Audi A5 - 76% first-time pass, 1,320 tests
• 2008 Audi A5 - 75.5% first-time pass, 3,905 tests
• 2009 Audi A5 - 75.3% first-time pass, 5,794 tests
• 2010 Audi A5 - 75.4% first-time pass, 10,044 tests
• 2011 Audi A5 - 76.3% first-time pass, 9,590 tests
• 2012 Audi A5 - 78.6% first-time pass, 9,242 tests
• 2013 Audi A5 - 78.6% first-time pass, 10,566 tests
• 2014 Audi A5 - 80.3% first-time pass, 10,700 tests
• 2015 Audi A5 - 81.6% first-time pass, 10,346 tests
• 2016 Audi A5 - 82.9% first-time pass, 8,351 tests
• 2017 Audi A5 - 83.8% first-time pass, 14,038 tests
• 2018 Audi A5 - 86.1% first-time pass, 11,512 tests
• 2019 Audi A5 - 87.1% first-time pass, 9,961 tests
• 2020 Audi A5 - 88.6% first-time pass, 2,240 tests
• 2021 Audi A5 - 86.4% first-time pass, 250 tests

Audi A5 by fuel type

The Audi A5's two most-tested fuel types split by 5.4 points: diesel passes first time 78.6% of the time (69,406 tests) against 84% for petrol (48,453 tests).

• Diesel Audi A5 - 78.6% first-time pass, 69,406 tests
• Petrol Audi A5 - 84% first-time pass, 48,453 tests

Other Audi models

• Audi A3 - 78.1%
• Audi A4 - 76.3%
• Audi A1 - 79.5%
• Audi A6 - 81.9%
• Audi Tt - 78.8%
• Audi Q3 - 83.5%
• Audi Q5 - 84.8%
• Audi Q2 - 91.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot Traveller - 80.5%
• Morris Minor 1000 - 80.5%
• Citroen Dispatch 1400 En-Prise Bhdi Ss - 80.5%
• Tesla Model S - 80.4%
• Ford Transit Custom 300 Trend Eblue - 80.4%
• Audi S3 - 80.4%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate