Audi A8: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi A8 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 11.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 11,127 individual Audi A8 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 88.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 12 in every 100 Audi A8s 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 A8 tested had covered 103,142 miles and was built around 2012.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Audi A8 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 A8 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 A8s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi A8

1. Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator, 0.2% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this defect)
2. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.2% of tests (1.45x the national rate for this defect)
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2% of tests
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.4% of tests
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.4% of tests
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 0.9% of tests
7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.6% of tests
8. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.6% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.5% of tests
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 0.5% of tests

From 22,028 DVSA-tracked Audi A8 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.76% of these flagged Audi A8 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Audi A8 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 A8 year:

• 2005 Audi A8 - 81.8% first-time pass, 335 tests
• 2006 Audi A8 - 83.2% first-time pass, 369 tests
• 2007 Audi A8 - 81.8% first-time pass, 566 tests
• 2008 Audi A8 - 85.3% first-time pass, 660 tests
• 2009 Audi A8 - 86% first-time pass, 385 tests
• 2010 Audi A8 - 85.1% first-time pass, 457 tests
• 2011 Audi A8 - 91.2% first-time pass, 708 tests
• 2012 Audi A8 - 90% first-time pass, 718 tests
• 2013 Audi A8 - 89.1% first-time pass, 718 tests
• 2014 Audi A8 - 92.7% first-time pass, 868 tests
• 2015 Audi A8 - 91.4% first-time pass, 977 tests
• 2016 Audi A8 - 92.3% first-time pass, 908 tests
• 2017 Audi A8 - 93.5% first-time pass, 675 tests
• 2018 Audi A8 - 94.5% first-time pass, 974 tests
• 2019 Audi A8 - 93.7% first-time pass, 729 tests
• 2020 Audi A8 - 95.7% first-time pass, 208 tests

Audi A8 by fuel type

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

• Diesel Audi A8 - 89.8% first-time pass, 8,809 tests
• Petrol Audi A8 - 86.8% first-time pass, 2,212 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

• Porsche Taycan 4s 79kwh - 88.6%
• Citroen C4 Shine + Puretech S/S Auto - 88.6%
• Volvo Xc40 First Edition P8 Awd - 88.6%
• Peugeot Unclassified - 88.5%
• BMW M5 - 88.5%
• Vauxhall Corsa Elite Nav Premium Trbo A - 88.5%

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