Audi Q5: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi Q5 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 8.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 96,747 individual Audi Q5 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 84.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 15 in every 100 Audi Q5s 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 Q5 tested had covered 75,355 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 Q5 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 Q5 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 Q5s actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 4 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi Q5

1. Headlamp levelling device inoperative, 0.4% of tests (3.57x the national rate for this defect)
2. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.3% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect)
3. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.2% of tests (1.52x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.3% of tests
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.5% of tests
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.4% of tests
7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1.3% of tests
8. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1% of tests
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.9% of tests
10. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.9% of tests

From 184,339 DVSA-tracked Audi Q5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.09% of these flagged Audi Q5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Audi Q5 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 Q5 year:

• 2009 Audi Q5 - 72.4% first-time pass, 3,762 tests
• 2010 Audi Q5 - 73.4% first-time pass, 3,613 tests
• 2011 Audi Q5 - 76.5% first-time pass, 5,403 tests
• 2012 Audi Q5 - 79.8% first-time pass, 4,583 tests
• 2013 Audi Q5 - 82.5% first-time pass, 6,146 tests
• 2014 Audi Q5 - 84% first-time pass, 8,601 tests
• 2015 Audi Q5 - 84.8% first-time pass, 10,499 tests
• 2016 Audi Q5 - 86.5% first-time pass, 11,261 tests
• 2017 Audi Q5 - 84.1% first-time pass, 10,068 tests
• 2018 Audi Q5 - 89.4% first-time pass, 13,176 tests
• 2019 Audi Q5 - 91.8% first-time pass, 11,922 tests
• 2020 Audi Q5 - 93.2% first-time pass, 6,963 tests

Audi Q5 by fuel type

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

• Diesel Audi Q5 - 84.6% first-time pass, 77,455 tests
• Petrol Audi Q5 - 87.9% first-time pass, 18,835 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 Q2 - 91.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Ford Transit Custom 300 Trail Eblue - 84.9%
• Porsche 968 - 84.9%
• Ford Ecosport - 84.8%
• Land Rover Discovery Sport - 84.8%
• MINI One - 84.8%
• Nissan 370 Z - 84.8%

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