392,664 tests in 2025
Audi A3 reliability and MOT pass rate
79.8% passed first time. The 20.2% fail rate is 2.4 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 83,121 miles.
Pass rate
79.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
83,121 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 49,531 | 9.7% |
| 6-9 years | 111,130 | 12.5% |
| 10-13 years | 123,243 | 20.4% |
| 14+ years | 107,894 | 32.7% |
What the A3 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.
- Suspension1,267 dangerous42.5%
- Tyres28,771 dangerous34.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment99 dangerous24.1%
- Brakes9,313 dangerous24.1%
- Body, chassis, structure258 dangerous12.7%
- Noise, emissions and leaks83 dangerous12.5%
- Visibility48 dangerous9.4%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems6 dangerous4.5%
Is the A3 getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.1 points to 20.4% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 424,011 | 9 | 20.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 418,885 | — | 20.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 368,389 | — | 20.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 385,482 | — | 20.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical A3 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 A3 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken12,719 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm9,843 tests
- 3Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt6,663 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords6,479 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed6,375 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick6,256 tests
- 7Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt6,122 tests
- 8Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction5,813 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical A3 collects 2.61 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 1.6mm67,886 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened38,194 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick31,190 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure30,745 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn23,262 tests
- 6Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak21,094 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine19,139 tests
- 8Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened16,780 tests
Questions
What is the Audi A3 MOT pass rate?
79.8% of the 392,664 Audi A3 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi A3 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 12,719 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, suspension appears in 42.5% of failures, tyres appears in 34.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 24.1% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.7%; at 14+ years it was 32.7%. The median Audi A3 tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 83,121 miles.
Is the Audi A3 getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.1 points to 20.4% 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 A3 trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 23 safety recalls naming the Audi A3: Audi A3 recalls.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular A3?
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.