Pass rate
82.6%
Around average — 9.7 pts ahead of the 72.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 333 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £33–£105
2002 Audi A8 MOT pass rate
- 2002
- typical 140,398 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
23.0% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
9.9 pts down across model years — 11.7% in 2005, 1.8% in 2018.
Which year to buy
- Best 2021 95.0% pass
- Avoid 2000 74.8% pass
Across the 23 years on record, a spread of 20.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 80.6%
- Typical mileage
- 140k mi
The 2002 Audi A8 MOT pass rate is 82.6% of its MOT tests — 9.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.0% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Audi A8 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 3.3× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 18.2% of everything recorded on the 2002 Audi A8, against 5.5% nationally — 12.7 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 23.0%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.9% and this one manages 82.6% — 9.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 333 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Audi A8? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2002 Audi A8 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.9%, so this figure is 9.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 80.6%. The median 2002 Audi A8 in this dataset had covered 140,398 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 82.3% of the time, April–September 82.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 4.80% of tests.
- 333 recorded tests behind this page.
- 82.6% overall pass rate, 80.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Audi A8, the average is 90.2% — best year 2021 (95.0%), worst 2000 (74.8%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 333
- Typical mileage (median)
- 140,398 mi
- Make and model
- Audi A8
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Body Panel Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the A8 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 72% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the A8
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 79 | 79.7% |
| East of England | 42 | 73.8% |
| West Midlands | 41 | 82.9% |
| Scotland | 39 | 82.1% |
| East Midlands | 29 | 82.8% |
| South West | 26 | 84.6% |
| London | 19 | 94.7% |
| North West | 18 | 83.3% |
| Yorkshire | 17 | 88.2% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2002 A8
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2002 A8
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 2.7% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the suspension joints 2.7% of tests
“pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the coil springs 2.4% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2002 A8 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £33–£105 — and 38% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £33–£105
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 38%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 333 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the A8, side by side
23 model years on record, from 2000 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 74.8% to 95.0% — a spread of 20.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 74.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 81.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 82.6%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 81.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 82.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 83.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 84.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 84.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 87.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 87.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 88.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 90.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 90.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 91.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 92.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 92.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 92.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 93.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 93.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 94.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 93.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 95.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 93.5% has a cut in excess of the…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2002 Audi A8 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2002 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz Slk 81.2%
- BMW Z3 80.7%
- Honda S2000 84.6%
- Subaru Impreza 80.5%
- Porsche Boxster 80.3%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 85.2%
Closest pass rates among 2002 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2002 Audi A8 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 643 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 149 | 23.00% | 20.98% | +2.02 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 118 | 18.20% | 5.52% | +12.68 |
| Brakes | 96 | 14.80% | 20.89% | −6.09 |
| Tyres | 76 | 11.70% | 19.76% | −8.06 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 64 | 9.90% | 5.57% | +4.33 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 50 | 7.70% | 12.21% | −4.51 |
| Visibility | 37 | 5.70% | 4.97% | +0.73 |
| Steering | 33 | 5.10% | 2.57% | +2.53 |
| Non-component advisories | 10 | 1.50% | 4.18% | −2.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 10 | 1.50% | 1.76% | −0.26 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.8% | £80–250 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.7% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.7% | £40–150 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 2.4% | £3–15 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 2.4% | £25–65 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.4% | £80–250 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.4% | £3–12 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 2.1% | £5–15 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 21.0% | £200–700 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 12.3% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 10.5% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 9.9% | £45–120 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 6.9% | £180–450 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 4.5% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5 | 100.0% | 24,863 mi |
| 30-60k | 1 | 100.0% | 30,615 mi |
| 60-90k | 29 | 82.8% | 80,176 mi |
| 90-120k | 67 | 80.6% | 104,137 mi |
| 120k+ | 229 | 82.5% | 158,259 mi |
Source: 333 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2002 A8 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2002 Audi A8?
82.6% of the 333 2002 Audi A8 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.9% for cars first used in 2002. First-attempt pass rate: 80.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2002 Audi A8?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (4.80%), headlamp lens slightly defective (2.70%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (2.70%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2002 Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 82.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2002 Audi A8 in this dataset had covered 140,398 mi.
Does the season affect the 2002 Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 82.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 82.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.