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

First-time pass rate84.8%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+8.1 points
Tests analysed96,747
Average mileage at test75,355 miles
Average year of manufacture2016
Reliability rank1,250 of 2,005 models

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. The Audi Q5 sits 8.1 points above the national average, ranked 1,250 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Audi Q5: £1,500 at UK salvage auction, from 14 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi Q5

  1. Headlamp levelling device inoperative, 0.6% of tests (4.13x the national rate for this defect)
  2. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.6% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
  3. Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator, 0.4% of tests (1.82x the national rate for this defect)
  4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.2% of tests
  5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests
  6. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.3% of tests
  7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1.9% of tests
  8. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.6% of tests
  9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.5% of tests
  10. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.4% of tests

From 96,652 DVSA-tracked Audi Q5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.47% of these flagged Audi Q5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Audi Q5

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Audi Q5 before it actually fails on it.

  1. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 14.1% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
  2. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 18.4% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
  3. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.4% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory)
  4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 28.8% of tests, also fails
  5. A tyre seriously damaged, 10.5% of tests, also fails
  6. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 6.6% of tests
  7. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 2.4% of tests
  8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1.5% of tests, also fails
  9. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 1.5% of tests
  10. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.1% of tests

From 96,652 DVSA-tracked Audi Q5 tests, 2024.

Audi Q5 pass rate by model year

From its 2009 to its 2020 model year, the Audi Q5's first-time pass rate has risen 20.8 points, from 72.4% to 93.2%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Audi Q5 year:

Audi Q5 by fuel type

The Audi Q5's two most-tested fuel types split by 3.3 points: diesel passes first time 84.6% of the time (77,455 tests) against 87.9% for petrol (18,835 tests).

Other Audi models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

Embed this data

Run a site about the Audi Q5? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

Audi Q5 MOT pass rate badge: 84.8%

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/audi-q5"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/audi-q5.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Audi Q5 MOT Pass Rate: 84.8% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Audi Q5's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

Audi Q5 most common MOT failure: Headlamp levelling device inoperative (0.6% of tests)

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/audi-q5"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/audi-q5.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Audi Q5 most common MOT failure: Headlamp levelling device inoperative (0.6% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate