217,383 tests in 2025
Audi A1 reliability and MOT pass rate
79.4% passed first time. The 20.6% fail rate is 2.0 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 57,131 miles.
Pass rate
79.4%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.6% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
57,131 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 38,636 | 9% |
| 6-9 years | 81,400 | 19.1% |
| 10-13 years | 80,539 | 25.9% |
| 14+ years | 15,949 | 30.6% |
What the A1 fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension1,230 dangerous44%
- Tyres15,316 dangerous32.7%
- Brakes6,443 dangerous21.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16 dangerous16.6%
- Visibility14 dangerous8.6%
- Body, chassis, structure157 dangerous8.3%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8 dangerous7.2%
- Steering36 dangerous5.6%
Is the A1 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.9 points to 21% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 196,647 | 7 | 16.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 206,252 | — | 18.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 186,650 | — | 20.2% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 211,078 | — | 21% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical A1 at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a A1 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn7,606 tests
- 2Coil spring: fractured or broken7,266 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm5,227 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,194 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords3,415 tests
- 6Condition: has ply or cords exposed2,944 tests
- 7Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2,582 tests
- 8Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn1,976 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical A1 collects 2.4 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm35,411 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened28,314 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure21,638 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn19,778 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick17,616 tests
- 6Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn6,664 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened5,364 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords5,271 tests
Questions
What is the Audi A1 MOT pass rate?
79.4% of the 217,383 Audi A1 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.6% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi A1 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded on 7,606 failed tests, followed by "Coil spring: fractured or broken" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, suspension appears in 44% of failures, tyres appears in 32.7% of failures, brakes appears in 21.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9%; at 14+ years it was 30.6%. The median Audi A1 tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 57,131 miles.
Is the Audi A1 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.9 points to 21% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every A1 trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular A1?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.