Audi A4 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

44.3% of 2,493 MOT tests of the Audi A4 first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 99.5 (95% CI 93.6–105.3; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Audi A4 built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	44.3	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	2493
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 93.6–105.3)	99.5	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	2493
Rank among this model's 23 build years	9	of 23	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	2493
Tested in 2024	21	tests	median 132,749 miles	2024	21

Built 1998 against Audi A4 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 46.7% vs 46.4%; age 22: 40.9% vs 42%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Audi A4 by registration · All Audi A4 MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Audi A4 fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Audi A4 built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	1,447	46.7	44.2–49.3	46.4	100.8
22	1,046	40.9	38–43.9	42	97.5

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,493 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Audi A4?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is suspension: 34.3 items per 100 first tests, against 16.4 across all build years of the Audi A4. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Audi A4 built 1998 against the Audi A4 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	34.3	16.4	1,609
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	27.4	15.5	1,288
Body, chassis, structure	23.1	6.9	1,083
Brakes	21.6	10.1	1,016
Visibility	12.9	7.5	606

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,697 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Audi A4, 1998 ranks 9 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 105.1.

Audi A4 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	99.5	93.6–105.3	no different (rough estimate)	2,493
1999	105.1	100.8–109.4	worse	4,943
2000	103.1	99.7–106.5	no different	8,098
2001	104.2	101.3–107.1	worse	11,044
2002	104.3	102.4–106.1	worse	27,690
2003	102.9	101.5–104.3	worse	48,297
2004	103.2	102.1–104.4	worse	70,384
2005	100.6	99.5–101.7	no different	79,465
2006	98.8	97.9–99.8	better	111,125
2007	99.5	98.5–100.4	no different	121,675
2008	101.8	100.8–102.8	worse	114,742
2009	97.8	96.7–99.0	better	89,019
2010	96.7	95.5–97.9	better	85,387
2011	97.0	95.8–98.3	better	88,056
2012	96.8	95.5–98.1	better	85,563
2013	98.5	97.3–99.8	better	100,139
2014	102.6	101.2–103.9	worse	104,990
2015	105.7	104.2–107.2	worse	102,641
2016	99.2	97.9–100.5	no different	139,053
2017	92.7	91.3–94.2	better	116,667
2018	99.7	97.5–102.0	no different	56,650
2019	104.0	101.1–106.8	worse	39,761
2020	101.9	96.7–107.2	no different	12,131

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,620,013 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Audi A4 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/audi-a4/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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