Audi Q3: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi Q3 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 6.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 106,153 individual Audi Q3 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 83.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 17 in every 100 Audi Q3s 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 Q3 tested had covered 66,298 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Audi Q3 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 Q3 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 Q3s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 3 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi Q3

1. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.1% of tests (1.88x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 0.5% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this defect)
3. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.6% of tests
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2% of tests
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.7% of tests
6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.2% of tests
7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 0.9% of tests
8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 0.7% of tests
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.7% of tests
10. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 0.5% of tests

From 181,551 DVSA-tracked Audi Q3 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.28% of these flagged Audi Q3 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Audi Q3 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 Q3 year:

• 2011 Audi Q3 - 74.4% first-time pass, 484 tests
• 2012 Audi Q3 - 75.5% first-time pass, 6,652 tests
• 2013 Audi Q3 - 77.3% first-time pass, 11,625 tests
• 2014 Audi Q3 - 79.2% first-time pass, 13,734 tests
• 2015 Audi Q3 - 81.4% first-time pass, 14,191 tests
• 2016 Audi Q3 - 84% first-time pass, 16,513 tests
• 2017 Audi Q3 - 87.5% first-time pass, 16,130 tests
• 2018 Audi Q3 - 89% first-time pass, 12,636 tests
• 2019 Audi Q3 - 91.6% first-time pass, 12,280 tests
• 2020 Audi Q3 - 92% first-time pass, 1,392 tests

Audi Q3 by fuel type

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

• Diesel Audi Q3 - 81.1% first-time pass, 63,653 tests
• Petrol Audi Q3 - 88% first-time pass, 42,063 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 Q5 - 84.8%
• Audi Q2 - 91.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Ford Transit Custom 280limitd Eblue - 83.6%
• Subaru Xv - 83.6%
• Ford Granada - 83.6%
• Land Rover Discovery Sport R-Dyn S D A - 83.5%
• Vauxhall Nova - 83.5%
• Land Rover Discovery Spt Rdyn S+ D Mhev A - 83.4%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate