Audi A3 MOT pass rate and common problems

Audi A3 common problems: what should I check before buying?

The faults recorded most often at Audi A3 MOTs in 2019–2024, per 100 tests.

• Tyre tread below the legal limit4.43
  Dangerous

  What to check: Check the tread across every tyre with a gauge; wear on one edge points to a tracking fault.

• Broken or weakened suspension spring3.78
  Major

  What to check: Look behind each wheel at the coil springs for a snapped end, and check the car sits level from side to side.

• Suspension joint cover split or missing3.69
  Major

  What to check: Ask whether the ball joint was replaced along with its cover: a joint that ran unprotected wears quickly and knocks over bumps.

• Windscreen or window damaged3.23
  Minor

  What to check: Look for chips and cracks across the windscreen: chips spread, and larger damage in front of the driver fails.

• One number plate light out3.18
  Minor

  What to check: Check every number plate light works with the sidelights on; a single dead bulb or LED is a cheap fix.

One test can record several defects, so this is not the share of Audi A3s.

Each tip applies only if the car you are looking at has that fault in its own MOT history.

Which Audi A3 years should I avoid?

2012 is the Audi A3 year that fails its MOT most for its age; 2017 fails least.

Fails more for its age: 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012.

Fails less for its age: 2015, 2016, 2017.

Year means the year the car was first registered, as DVSA records it. It may differ from the year it was built.

How does the Audi A3 compare with similar cars?

3 of 8 similar models fail less often for their age than the Audi A3.

This is a different comparison from the one at the top. There, the Audi A3 is measured against all cars of the same age. Here, it sits among similar models. Both can be true.

How do Audi A3s hold up as they get older?

First-time MOT failures on Audi A3s go from 10.9% at age 3 to 44.4% at age 19.

Download every age and sample size (CSV)

Do advisories on Audi A3s turn into fails at the next MOT?

24.6% of lights and electrical advisories on Audi A3s turned into lights and electrical fails at the next MOT.

The next MOT came about 12 months later.

Based on 31,246 advisories, each followed to the car's next MOT, 2019–2024. This counts advisories, not cars.

The most common advisories on Audi A3s are for tyres: 42.18 per 100 tests.

Download all advisory transitions (CSV)

Audi A3 common problems: what actually fails the MOT?

Audi A3 MOTs fail most often on suspension: 15.2 per 100 tests, against 14.8 for UK cars of the same age (2019–2024, n = 2,442,554).

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What is likely to fail next on a used Audi A3?

For Audi A3s aged 3 to 5 whose last MOT was a pass, the item most likely to fail at the next MOT is tyres: 5.2% failed on it (2019–2024, n = 297,205).

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How often do Audi A3s get a dangerous MOT defect?

The Audi A3 gets a dangerous defect about as often as the UK average: 11.4 per 100 first tests against 11.2 across the UK. In the same tests, 41.1 major and 15.5 minor defects were recorded per 100 tests (one test can record several).

Severity was not recorded for some 2018–2021 tests.

Comparison: 11.2 per 100.

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How much do Audi A3 MOT repairs cost?

Expected repair cost per Audi A3 MOT: about £69 (up to about £131 if more expensive parts are needed), from the chance of failing each item and its most common UK repair price (catalogue estimate, n = 389,739).

Computed, not measured.

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What mileage is normal for a used Audi A3?

At age 8, the median Audi A3 had covered 64,914 miles by its MOT; the middle half ranged from 49,306 to 82,858 miles (2024, n = 39,076).

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Do high-mileage Audi A3s fail their MOT more often?

At ages 6–9, 9.7% of Audi A3s with under 40,000 miles failed first time, against 24.3% of those with over 140,000 miles (2024, n = 28,264). Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.

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How many miles do Audi A3s last?

33.6% of Audi A3s tested had reached 100,000 miles, and 9.4% had reached 150,000 (2024, n = 817,796).

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Does mileage, as well as age, change the Audi A3 failure index?

Matched on annual mileage as well as age, the Audi A3 index is 82.7, against 87.4 on age alone (2019–2024, n = 389,739).

Comparison: 87.4 index.

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Which Audi A3 fuel type fails its MOT less?

Diesel Audi A3s fail first time more often than petrol ones, before allowing for age: 30.2% against 21.6%.

Comparison: other fuels.

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Which Audi A3 engine fails its MOT least?

Among engines with enough tests, the best Audi A3 engine is the petrol over 2.0 litre at index 76.8, and the worst the diesel 1.5–1.8 litre at 111.4, where 100 = the model's own average (2024, n = 389,739).

Comparison: 100 = model average.

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Where in Britain does the Audi A3 fail its MOT most?

Audi A3 fails first-time MOTs most in Torquay (TQ): 35.5% against 25.9% across Britain for this model, both 2019–2024 (2019–2024, n = 9,776).

Across Britain for this model: 25.9% failed first time, also in 2019–2024.

See every postcode area and its sample size

Does the Audi A3 have rust problems?

Allowing for age, Audi A3 MOTs record corrosion failures at 0.8 times the national rate: 0.6% of tests against 0.77% (2024 + geographic layers, n = 388,827).

Computed, not measured.

Comparison: 1 ratio estimate.

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What do six years of MOTs show about owning a used Audi A3?

Of failed Audi A3 MOTs, 45.6% were retested the same day and a further 51.8% within 10 days; the median failed car passed its retest after 1 day (2019–2024, n = 472,248).

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Is low mileage good for a used Audi A3?

Audi A3s aged 5 to 14 doing under 5,000 miles a year failed first time in 14.4% of tests, against 25.3% for those doing 8,000 to 12,000 miles (2019–2024, n = 180,097).

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How many years do Audi A3s last?

Audi A3s tend to last: at ten years old the typical one has about 5.7 more years of MOTs ahead, more than the median model. This is a forecast from the survival curve and may not come true.

Computed, not measured.

Forecast, not a prediction for a particular car.

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How many Audi A3s are still on the road as they age?

In 2024, for every 100 Audi A3s tested at ages 4 to 6, about 11 were tested at age 19 (2024, n = 21,515).

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If a used Audi A3 fails its MOT, will it fail the next one?

Audi A3s that fail once are much more likely to fail again: 33.7% failed the next MOT after a fail, against 21.7% after a pass (test chains 2019–2024). The failure most likely to come back is ‘body, chassis, structure’: 37.0% of those fails recurred at the next MOT.

Comparison: 21.7 %.

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Which Audi A3 faults tend to come together?

On Audi A3s, road Wheels and seat belts and supplementary restraint systems failures turn up together 9.1 times as often as chance would predict (2024, n = 554).

Comparison: expected joint rate.

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Audi A3 safety recalls: how do I check this car?

DVSA lists 26 safety recall campaigns matched to the Audi A3; check whether yours has been fixed, using its registration number.

Computed, not measured.

Recall effects are computed comparisons, not causal findings; campaigns are not linked to individual VINs.

Check outstanding safety recalls by registration

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How many Audi A3s fail the MOT at each age?

Of every 100 Audi A3s tested at age 5, about 12 failed the MOT first time; at age 10, about 22. These are one-year rates for different cars tested in the same year, not a fleet followed over time; the steepest one-year step in this cross-section is between cars aged 11 and 12, 6.92 percentage points (2024).

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What have US dealers been told about the Audi A3?

NHTSA lists 1824 US technical service bulletins for the Audi A3 (US market, Audi A3, model years 2015–2022 only); a count, not a UK failure rate.

Comparison: NHTSA.

NHTSA, US market, Audi A3, model years 2015–2022 only; covers 211 of 761 models. These two sections use US records from NHTSA. US cars sold under the same name can differ from UK ones.

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What do US owners complain about on the Audi A3?

The most common US owner complaint about the Audi A3 to NHTSA concerns restraints: 208 complaints (US market, Audi A3, model years 2015–2022 only).

NHTSA, US market, Audi A3, model years 2015–2022 only; covers 211 of 761 models. These two sections use US records from NHTSA. US cars sold under the same name can differ from UK ones.

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Do Audi A3s fail their MOT more in some months?

Audi A3s fail first time most in January (27.3%, against 31.1% for all cars that month) and least in September (24.8%) (2024, n = 389,739).

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How far is real-world MPG from the lab figure for Audi cars?

Real-world fuel use of 2022 diesel cars from Audi AG is 17.1% above the official WLTP figure: 6.9 against 5.89 litres per 100 km (2021+ cohorts, n = 58,647 vehicles).

Computed, not measured.

Plug-in hybrids: the lab figure assumes the battery is charged often; on the road many are driven mostly on petrol, so the gap is several times larger.

Comparison: 0% gap.

European Commission OBFCM; covers 19 of 761 models.

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More on the Audi A3

Overview:

Model overview · All Audi models

Build years:

1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020

What fails:

body · brakes · plates · lights · emissions · wheels · seat belts · steering · suspension · tyres · visibility

Abroad:

Finland · the Netherlands · Norway

By area:

Postcode areas

Compare:

BMW 3 Series · Mercedes-Benz A-Class · Volkswagen Golf · Ford Focus · Vauxhall Astra