109,693 tests in 2025
Audi Q5 reliability and MOT pass rate
86.1% passed first time. The 13.9% fail rate is 8.7 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 8 years old with 67,334 miles.
Pass rate
86.1%
22.6% of all cars failed; 13.9% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
67,334 mi
8 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 27,279 | 7.4% |
| 6-9 years | 42,827 | 12.5% |
| 10-13 years | 27,497 | 17.6% |
| 14+ years | 11,715 | 25.8% |
What the Q5 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.
- Suspension135 dangerous31.1%
- Tyres4,160 dangerous30.3%
- Body, chassis, structure50 dangerous20.8%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18 dangerous16.6%
- Brakes1,670 dangerous14.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8 dangerous11.5%
- Visibility6 dangerous9.3%
- Steering27 dangerous2.5%
Is the Q5 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.1 points to 14.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 92,350 | 6 | 13.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 98,505 | — | 13.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 92,957 | — | 14.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 104,419 | — | 14.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Q5 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 Q5 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2,593 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,909 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,783 tests
- 4Coil spring: fractured or broken1,729 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,574 tests
- 6Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction1,530 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,263 tests
- 8Condition: has ply or cords exposed773 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Q5 collects 2.34 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 1.6mm16,896 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn11,512 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick10,518 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened4,765 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure4,441 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt3,959 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn3,290 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre2,724 tests
Questions
What is the Audi Q5 MOT pass rate?
86.1% of the 109,693 Audi Q5 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 13.9% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Audi Q5 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded on 2,593 failed tests, followed by "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, suspension appears in 31.1% of failures, tyres appears in 30.3% of failures, body, chassis, structure appears in 20.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 7.4%; at 14+ years it was 25.8%. The median Audi Q5 tested in 2025 was 8 years old with 67,334 miles.
Is the Audi Q5 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.1 points to 14.2% 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 Q5 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 29 safety recalls naming the Audi Q5: Audi Q5 recalls.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular Q5?
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.