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Audi A8 2002: MOT failure rate for its age

38.0% of 358 MOT tests of the Audi A8 first registered in 2002 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 142.5 (95% CI 118.5–166.4; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2002 Audi A8 fails more often than other build years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Audi A8 built in 2002 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time38.0%all ages tested2019–2024358
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 118.5–166.4)142.5index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–2024358
Rank among this model's 19 build years19of 191 = fails least for its age2019–2024358
Tested in 202491testsmedian 137,572 miles202491
line · Audi A8 built 2002 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2002 41.3% vs model normal 28.4% at age 17 · 2019–2024
Built 2002 against Audi A8 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 17: 41.3% vs 28.4%; age 18: 33.8% vs 24.5%; age 19: 37.6% vs n/a%; age 20: 28.6% vs n/a%; age 21: 22% vs n/a%; age 22: 26.4% vs n/a%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

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

How does the 2002 Audi A8 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2002 were tested at ages 17 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 A8 built 2002: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
17201 (rough estimate)41.334.7–48.228.4145.5
18157 (rough estimate)33.826.8–41.524.5138
19149 (rough estimate)37.630.2–45.6not availablenot available
20140 (rough estimate)28.621.7–36.5not availablenot available
21118 (rough estimate)2215.5–30.3not availablenot available
2291 (rough estimate)26.418.4–36.3not availablenot available

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 856 (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 2002 Audi A8?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2002 is suspension: 22.9 items per 100 first tests, against 5.3 across all build years of the Audi A8. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2002 were tested at ages 17 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Audi A8 built 2002 against the Audi A8 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2002, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Suspension22.95.3196
Brakes18.25.2156
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16.88.5144
Visibility12.56107
Body, chassis, structure11.92.7102

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 856 (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 2002 compare with the years around it?

Among the 19 published build years of the Audi A8, 2002 ranks 19 (1 = fails least for its age). 2003: index 116.3.

Audi A8 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
2002142.5118.5–166.4worse (rough estimate)358
2003116.399.9–132.8no different (rough estimate)645
2004112.2101.9–122.6worse (rough estimate)1,590
2005110.7102.9–118.6worse (rough estimate)2,815
2006102.995.7–110.0no different (rough estimate)3,272
2007107.0100.6–113.3worse4,538
2008102.896.7–108.9no different5,138
2009104.595.7–113.3no different (rough estimate)2,795
201095.287.0–103.3no different (rough estimate)3,366
201188.081.2–94.8better5,110
201290.683.1–98.1better4,852
201394.085.8–102.2no different4,797
201486.678.9–94.4better5,595
2015106.497.9–114.9no different6,190
201696.387.6–105.0no different5,655
2017100.288.8–111.6no different (rough estimate)3,631
201896.785.8–107.6no different (rough estimate)3,991
201985.071.4–98.6better (rough estimate)2,275
2020109.483.0–135.7no different (rough estimate)805

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 67,418 (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 A8 2002 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-a8/2002/

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.

Other pages for this model

Audi A8 2003 · Audi A8 2004 · Audi A8 2005 · Audi A8 2006 · Audi A8 2007 · Audi A8 2008 · Audi A8 2009 · Audi A8 2010 · Audi A8 2011 · Audi A8 2012 · Audi A8 2013 · Audi A8 2014 · Audi A8 2015 · Audi A8 2016 · Audi A8 2017 · Audi A8 2018 · Audi A8 2019 · Audi A8 2020 · Audi A8 in Norway · Audi A8 in Finland · Audi A8 in the Netherlands · Audi A8 by postcode area · Audi A8 body, chassis and structure failures · Audi A8 brakes failures · Audi A8 vehicle identification failures · Audi A8 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Audi A8 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Audi A8 road wheels failures · Audi A8 seat belts and airbags failures · Audi A8 steering failures · Audi A8 suspension failures · Audi A8 tyres failures · Audi A8 visibility failures