46,616 tests in 2025
Audi Q7 reliability and MOT pass rate
85.4% passed first time. The 14.6% fail rate is 8.0 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 82,043 miles.
Pass rate
85.4%
22.6% of all cars failed; 14.6% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
82,043 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 9,050 | 9% |
| 6-9 years | 17,670 | 14.4% |
| 10-13 years | 10,884 | 15.3% |
| 14+ years | 8,909 | 19.9% |
What the Q7 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.
- Tyres2,779 dangerous41.4%
- Suspension109 dangerous25.9%
- Brakes748 dangerous22.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15 dangerous17.3%
- Visibility3 dangerous11.7%
- Noise, emissions and leaks3 dangerous10.1%
- Body, chassis, structure47 dangerous5.4%
- Steering98 dangerous4.7%
Is the Q7 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.6 points to 15.1% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 44,637 | 7 | 14.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 45,695 | — | 15.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 40,585 | — | 15.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 43,437 | — | 15.1% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Q7 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 Q7 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm996 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords907 tests
- 3Coil spring: fractured or broken749 tests
- 4Condition: has ply or cords exposed663 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn596 tests
- 6Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction565 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively386 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick369 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Q7 collects 2.42 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 1.6mm7,739 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn3,874 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick3,851 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened3,394 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine3,393 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2,121 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn1,474 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,223 tests
Questions
What is the Audi Q7 MOT pass rate?
85.4% of the 46,616 Audi Q7 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 14.6% 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 Q7 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 996 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Coil spring: fractured or broken". By section, tyres appears in 41.4% of failures, suspension appears in 25.9% of failures, brakes appears in 22.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9%; at 14+ years it was 19.9%. The median Audi Q7 tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 82,043 miles.
Is the Audi Q7 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.6 points to 15.1% 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 Q7 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 16 safety recalls naming the Audi Q7: Audi Q7 recalls.
Other Audi models
Checking a particular Q7?
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.