Does the Audi A3 fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Audi A3 records 3.56 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.55 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.01, 95% interval −0.01 to +0.04). It ranks 260 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Audi A3 by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Audi A3 is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 36,284 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 36,284 | 1.49 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 9,784 | 0.40 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 8,437 | 0.35 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 7,891 | 0.32 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 6,701 | 0.27 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,442,554 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Audi A3 gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.7% of Audi A3 MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 6,094 miles later (61,755 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 61,755 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
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