15,831 tests in 2025
Audi A7 reliability and MOT pass rate
86.6% passed first time. The 13.4% fail rate is 9.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 82,969 miles.
Pass rate
86.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 13.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
82,969 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1,641 | 9.5% |
| 6-9 years | 6,313 | 11.8% |
| 10-13 years | 6,436 | 15% |
| 14+ years | 1,428 | 17.9% |
What the A7 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.
- Tyres1,269 dangerous51.5%
- Suspension19 dangerous25.9%
- Brakes154 dangerous12.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1 dangerous10.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks2 dangerous9.1%
- Visibility1 dangerous7.7%
- Body, chassis, structure7 dangerous5.8%
- Road Wheels39 dangerous4%
Is the A7 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.8 points to 13.6% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16,401 | 7 | 12.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 16,458 | 8 | 13.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 14,286 | 9 | 13.7% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 14,847 | 10 | 13.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical A7 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 A7 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm379 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed269 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords261 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn197 tests
- 5Coil spring: fractured or broken182 tests
- 6Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction144 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick116 tests
- 8Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure111 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical A7 collects 2.23 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 1.6mm2,385 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,227 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,054 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened798 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine539 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure444 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn436 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords424 tests
Questions
What is the Audi A7 MOT pass rate?
86.6% of the 15,831 Audi A7 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 13.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi A7 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 379 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, tyres appears in 51.5% of failures, suspension appears in 25.9% of failures, brakes appears in 12.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.5%; at 14+ years it was 17.9%. The median Audi A7 tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 82,969 miles.
Is the Audi A7 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.8 points to 13.6% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 A7 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 14 safety recalls naming the Audi A7: Audi A7 recalls.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular A7?
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.