Audi A7: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi A7 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 8.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 16,468 individual Audi A7 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 85.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 15 in every 100 Audi A7s 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 A7 tested had covered 82,914 miles and was built around 2015.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Audi A7 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 A7 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 A7s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi A7

1. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.4% of tests (2.34x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator, 0.2% of tests (1.73x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.3% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this defect)
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.2% of tests
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.5% of tests
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.4% of tests
7. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.6% of tests
8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 0.6% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.5% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.5% of tests

From 36,078 DVSA-tracked Audi A7 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.37% of these flagged Audi A7 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Audi A7 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 A7 year:

• 2011 Audi A7 - 83.5% first-time pass, 1,549 tests
• 2012 Audi A7 - 84.7% first-time pass, 1,262 tests
• 2013 Audi A7 - 83.9% first-time pass, 1,880 tests
• 2014 Audi A7 - 85% first-time pass, 1,918 tests
• 2015 Audi A7 - 87.4% first-time pass, 2,009 tests
• 2016 Audi A7 - 85.5% first-time pass, 2,367 tests
• 2017 Audi A7 - 86% first-time pass, 1,681 tests
• 2018 Audi A7 - 89.3% first-time pass, 1,414 tests
• 2019 Audi A7 - 90.9% first-time pass, 1,409 tests
• 2020 Audi A7 - 87.9% first-time pass, 347 tests
• 2021 Audi A7 - 85.8% first-time pass, 388 tests

Audi A7 by fuel type

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

• Diesel Audi A7 - 85.7% first-time pass, 14,726 tests
• Petrol Audi A7 - 90.1% first-time pass, 1,620 tests

Other Audi models

• Audi A3 - 78.1%
• Audi A4 - 76.3%
• Audi A1 - 79.5%
• Audi A6 - 81.9%
• Audi A5 - 80.4%
• Audi Tt - 78.8%
• Audi Q3 - 83.5%
• Audi Q5 - 84.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volvo Xc60 Inscrp Pro T8rechrg Awd A - 85.6%
• Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Sel Tdi - 85.6%
• Abarth 695 - 85.6%
• Abarth 595c - 85.5%
• Kia Proceed GT Isg S-A - 85.5%
• Bentley Turbo - 85.5%

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