5,461 tests in 2025
Audi A2 reliability and MOT pass rate
63.2% passed first time. The 36.8% fail rate is 14.2 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 22 years old with 129,962 miles.
Pass rate
63.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 36.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
129,962 mi
22 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 1 | — |
| 10-13 years | 1 | — |
| 14+ years | 5,459 | 36.8% |
What the A2 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.
- Suspension41 dangerous47.8%
- Brakes154 dangerous40.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment27 dangerous38%
- Noise, emissions and leaks4 dangerous21.2%
- Tyres409 dangerous18.6%
- Body, chassis, structure25 dangerous17.5%
- Visibility5 dangerous13.8%
- Steering9 dangerous13.6%
Is the A2 getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.4 points to 36.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 8,111 | 19 | 37.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 7,337 | 20 | 38.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 5,801 | 21 | 37% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 5,461 | 22 | 36.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical A2 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 A2 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken288 tests
- 2Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect236 tests
- 3Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements230 tests
- 4Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt201 tests
- 5Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction179 tests
- 6Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt178 tests
- 7Service brake imbalance: across an axle150 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding144 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical A2 collects 3.03 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.
- 1Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine904 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm780 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened717 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure592 tests
- 5Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened532 tests
- 6Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded515 tests
- 7Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak369 tests
- 8Registration plates: inscription illegible365 tests
Questions
What is the Audi A2 MOT pass rate?
63.2% of the 5,461 Audi A2 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 36.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi A2 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 288 failed tests, followed by "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect" and "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements". By section, suspension appears in 47.8% of failures, brakes appears in 40.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 38% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 36.8%. The median Audi A2 tested in 2025 was 22 years old with 129,962 miles.
Is the Audi A2 getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.4 points to 36.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 A2 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 A2?
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.