115,520 tests in 2025
Audi A6 reliability and MOT pass rate
83.2% passed first time. The 16.8% fail rate is 5.8 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 103,338 miles.
Pass rate
83.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 16.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
103,338 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 11,159 | 8.1% |
| 6-9 years | 36,237 | 12.6% |
| 10-13 years | 36,961 | 16.7% |
| 14+ years | 30,293 | 25.6% |
What the A6 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.
- Tyres8,061 dangerous38.3%
- Suspension381 dangerous34.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23 dangerous22.2%
- Brakes1,799 dangerous16.3%
- Body, chassis, structure116 dangerous14%
- Noise, emissions and leaks25 dangerous12.9%
- Visibility6 dangerous10.8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems5.4%
Is the A6 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.5 points to 17.3% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 131,994 | 9 | 16.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 127,425 | — | 17.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 109,787 | — | 17.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 109,259 | — | 17.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical A6 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 A6 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,850 tests
- 2Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction1,946 tests
- 3Coil spring: fractured or broken1,845 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,812 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed1,756 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,736 tests
- 7Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1,590 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,224 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical A6 collects 2.53 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 1.6mm20,358 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn12,042 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick8,415 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened7,368 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure4,373 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine3,955 tests
- 7Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened3,928 tests
- 8Registration plates: inscription illegible3,364 tests
Questions
What is the Audi A6 MOT pass rate?
83.2% of the 115,520 Audi A6 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 16.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi A6 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 2,850 failed tests, followed by "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction" and "Coil spring: fractured or broken". By section, tyres appears in 38.3% of failures, suspension appears in 34.4% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 22.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.1%; at 14+ years it was 25.6%. The median Audi A6 tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 103,338 miles.
Is the Audi A6 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.5 points to 17.3% 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 A6 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 34 safety recalls naming the Audi A6: Audi A6 recalls.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular A6?
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.