Pass rate
82.8%
Around average — 10.6 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 715 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £30–£92
2004 Audi A8 MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 134,848 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
21.6% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
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
- 80.0%
- Typical mileage
- 135k mi
The 2004 Audi A8 MOT pass rate is 82.8% of its MOT tests — 10.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.6% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
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 72.2% and this one manages 82.8% — 10.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
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 2004 Audi A8 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 10.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 80.0%. The median 2004 Audi A8 in this dataset had covered 134,848 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 54% of tests, with a 83.1% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 81.5% of the time, April–September 84.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 5.03% of tests.
- 715 recorded tests behind this page.
- 82.8% overall pass rate, 80.0% 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
- 715
- Typical mileage (median)
- 134,848 mi
- Make and model
- Audi A8
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the A8 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 52% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (54% of tests).
Where the Audi A8 is most common
Across all A8 model years on record (2000–2022): 18,992 Audi A8 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 36,133 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 828 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 828 | 93.5% |
| 2 | Peterborough (PE) | 451 | 90.7% |
| 3 | London (N) | 430 | 95.1% |
| 4 | London (E) | 377 | 97.6% |
| 5 | Coventry (CV) | 373 | 90.6% |
| 6 | Northampton (NN) | 366 | 89.2% |
| 7 | Romford (RM) | 343 | 95.6% |
| 8 | Leicester (LE) | 338 | 92.1% |
| 9 | Wembley (HA) | 338 | 95.4% |
| 10 | Sheffield (S) | 327 | 93.9% |
| 11 | Manchester (M) | 322 | 90.4% |
| 12 | Glasgow (G) | 318 | 88.0% |
| 13 | London (NW) | 316 | 94.9% |
| 14 | Nottingham (NG) | 302 | 88.1% |
| 15 | Luton (LU) | 302 | 94.8% |
| 16 | Reading (RG) | 300 | 88.7% |
| 17 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 298 | 92.3% |
| 18 | Doncaster (DN) | 295 | 90.8% |
| 19 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 291 | 92.1% |
| 20 | Enfield (EN) | 272 | 96.1% |
The twenty areas with the most Audi A8 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the A8
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 162 | 86.4% |
| East of England | 94 | 76.6% |
| West Midlands | 82 | 81.7% |
| Scotland | 77 | 76.6% |
| South West | 70 | 81.4% |
| Yorkshire | 60 | 83.3% |
| London | 56 | 89.3% |
| North West | 48 | 87.5% |
| East Midlands | 43 | 81.4% |
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 2004 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 2004 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 5.0% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
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 windscreen 4.5% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.1% 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.
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 2004 A8 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £30–£92 — and 52% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £30–£92
- 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
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 52%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 715 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 2004 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 2004 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 83.1%
- Subaru Impreza 82.2%
- Porsche Boxster 81.5%
- Porsche Cayenne 81.1%
- Toyota Alphard 79.2%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 86.7%
Closest pass rates among 2004 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 2004 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 1,387 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 305 | 21.60% | 20.89% | +0.71 |
| Suspension | 289 | 20.50% | 20.98% | −0.48 |
| Tyres | 231 | 16.40% | 19.76% | −3.36 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 197 | 14.00% | 12.21% | +1.79 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 113 | 8.00% | 5.52% | +2.48 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 101 | 7.20% | 5.57% | +1.63 |
| Visibility | 86 | 6.10% | 4.97% | +1.13 |
| Steering | 22 | 1.60% | 2.57% | −0.97 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 22 | 1.60% | 0.82% | +0.78 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 21 | 1.50% | 1.76% | −0.26 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.0% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.6% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.5% | £80–200 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 3.6% | £80–250 |
| Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.5% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.1% | £40–150 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.7% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.2% | £3–12 |
| Linkage pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £40–150 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 1.8% | £3–15 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 16.9% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.9% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 14.6% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 9.4% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 8.1% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 7.1% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5 | 60.0% | 25,839 mi |
| 30-60k | 18 | 94.4% | 51,858 mi |
| 60-90k | 84 | 88.1% | 76,858 mi |
| 90-120k | 150 | 82.7% | 106,927 mi |
| 120k+ | 458 | 81.7% | 162,909 mi |
Source: 715 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.
2004 A8 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Audi A8?
82.8% of the 715 2004 Audi A8 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 80.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Audi A8?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.03%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.62%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.48%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 60.0% of the time, falling to 81.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Audi A8 in this dataset had covered 134,848 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2004 Audi A8?
Petrol: 83.1% pass rate across 384 tests. Diesel: 82.6% pass rate across 327 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2004 Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 81.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 84.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.