Audi A6: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi A6 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 120,144 individual Audi A6 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 81.9% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 Audi A6s 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 A6 tested had covered 109,306 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Audi A6 bought as a 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 A6 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 what damaged Audi A6s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 4 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi A6

1. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.2% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
2. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.6% of tests
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.1% of tests
5. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.4% of tests
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1.2% of tests
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.2% of tests
8. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.1% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.9% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.7% of tests

From 206,682 DVSA-tracked Audi A6 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.59% of these flagged Audi A6 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Audi A6 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Audi A6 year:

• 2000 Audi A6 - 72.9% first-time pass, 214 tests
• 2001 Audi A6 - 72.5% first-time pass, 207 tests
• 2002 Audi A6 - 65.2% first-time pass, 422 tests
• 2003 Audi A6 - 67.1% first-time pass, 705 tests
• 2004 Audi A6 - 67% first-time pass, 1,055 tests
• 2005 Audi A6 - 71.9% first-time pass, 1,796 tests
• 2006 Audi A6 - 72.6% first-time pass, 3,249 tests
• 2007 Audi A6 - 74.1% first-time pass, 5,539 tests
• 2008 Audi A6 - 73.8% first-time pass, 5,650 tests
• 2009 Audi A6 - 75.7% first-time pass, 4,320 tests
• 2010 Audi A6 - 75.9% first-time pass, 6,658 tests
• 2011 Audi A6 - 77.1% first-time pass, 6,932 tests
• 2012 Audi A6 - 81.8% first-time pass, 8,069 tests
• 2013 Audi A6 - 82.8% first-time pass, 10,452 tests
• 2014 Audi A6 - 83.1% first-time pass, 10,698 tests
• 2015 Audi A6 - 85.3% first-time pass, 11,289 tests
• 2016 Audi A6 - 86.4% first-time pass, 13,254 tests
• 2017 Audi A6 - 87.7% first-time pass, 9,436 tests
• 2018 Audi A6 - 89.1% first-time pass, 8,253 tests
• 2019 Audi A6 - 90.5% first-time pass, 8,159 tests
• 2020 Audi A6 - 92.4% first-time pass, 1,698 tests
• 2021 Audi A6 - 91.1% first-time pass, 1,002 tests

Audi A6 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Audi A6 - 82.1% first-time pass, 109,526 tests
• Petrol Audi A6 - 84.8% first-time pass, 9,903 tests

Other Audi models

• Audi A3 - 78.1%
• Audi A4 - 76.3%
• Audi A1 - 79.5%
• Audi A5 - 80.4%
• Audi Tt - 78.8%
• Audi Q3 - 83.5%
• Audi Q5 - 84.8%
• Audi Q2 - 91.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Lexus Ls430 - 82%
• Morris Minor - 82%
• BMW 118 - 81.9%
• Jaguar Xk - 81.9%
• Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 Edition S/S - 81.9%
• BMW X6 Xdrive30d M Sport Mhev Auto - 81.9%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate