10,480 tests in 2025
Audi A8 reliability and MOT pass rate
90% passed first time. The 10% fail rate is 12.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 11 years old with 97,315 miles.
Pass rate
90%
22.6% of all cars failed; 10% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
97,315 mi
11 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 881 | 5.1% |
| 6-9 years | 2,986 | 6.8% |
| 10-13 years | 2,951 | 8.3% |
| 14+ years | 3,517 | 15.8% |
What the A8 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.
- Tyres435 dangerous38.9%
- Suspension27 dangerous26.3%
- Brakes118 dangerous21.1%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment9 dangerous19.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks15.2%
- Visibility13.5%
- Body, chassis, structure5 dangerous9.9%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.8%
Is the A8 getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.9 points to 10.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12,468 | 10 | 11.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 11,784 | 10 | 11.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 9,772 | 11 | 10.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 9,674 | 11 | 10.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical A8 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 A8 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has ply or cords exposed129 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm126 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction110 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn105 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords100 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick66 tests
- 7Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt59 tests
- 8Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively58 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical A8 collects 2.38 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 1.6mm1,325 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn879 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened719 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick504 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine414 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure376 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn266 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm238 tests
Questions
What is the Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
90% of the 10,480 Audi A8 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 10% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi A8 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has ply or cords exposed", recorded on 129 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, tyres appears in 38.9% of failures, suspension appears in 26.3% of failures, brakes appears in 21.1% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 5.1%; at 14+ years it was 15.8%. The median Audi A8 tested in 2025 was 11 years old with 97,315 miles.
Is the Audi A8 getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.9 points to 10.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.7 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 A8 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 24 safety recalls naming the Audi A8: Audi A8 recalls.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular A8?
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.