Audi S5: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Audi S5 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,496 individual Audi S5 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 81.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 Audi S5s 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 S5 tested had covered 90,516 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Audi S5 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 S5 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 S5s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Audi S5

1. Headlamp levelling device inoperative, 0.5% of tests (4.42x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 0.6% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.99x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.3% of tests
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.9% of tests
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1.8% of tests
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.1% of tests
8. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1% of tests
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.8% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.7% of tests

From 3,312 DVSA-tracked Audi S5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.63% of these flagged Audi S5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Audi S5 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 S5 year:

• 2008 Audi S5 - 78% first-time pass, 277 tests
• 2010 Audi S5 - 78.9% first-time pass, 279 tests
• 2011 Audi S5 - 83.9% first-time pass, 211 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

• Renault Kadjar - 81.7%
• Ford Tourneo Connect - 81.7%
• Kia Optima - 81.7%
• Audi S4 - 81.7%
• BMW 1 Series - 81.6%
• Tesla Model X Perform Ludicrous Awd - 81.6%

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