9,796 tests in 2025
Audi Q4 reliability and MOT pass rate
89% passed first time. The 11% fail rate is 11.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 3 years old with 32,564 miles.
Pass rate
89%
22.6% of all cars failed; 11% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
32,564 mi
3 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 9,352 | 11% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Q4 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.
- Tyres780 dangerous85%
- Visibility1 dangerous8.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment5%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.6%
- Suspension4 dangerous4.6%
- Brakes2.9%
- Identification of the vehicle2%
- Body, chassis, structure0.6%
Is the Q4 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.8 points to 11.9% from 2024 to 2025 while the age of a typical one barely moved, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,556 | 3 | 11.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 4,109 | 3 | 11.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Q4 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 Q4 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords428 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed325 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm173 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively42 tests
- 5SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault33 tests
- 6Size/type: of different sizes are fitted on the same axle.26 tests
- 7Washers: not working23 tests
- 8Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn21 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Q4 collects 2.01 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 1.6mm2,000 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm400 tests
- 3Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt349 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre316 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords251 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure175 tests
- 7Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened114 tests
- 8Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn89 tests
Questions
What is the Audi Q4 MOT pass rate?
89% of the 9,796 Audi Q4 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 11% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi Q4 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded on 428 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 85% of failures, visibility appears in 8.3% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11%; at 3-5 years it was 11%. The median Audi Q4 tested in 2025 was 3 years old with 32,564 miles.
Is the Audi Q4 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.8 points to 11.9% from 2024 to 2025 while the age of a typical one barely moved, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0 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 Q4 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 Q4?
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.