Pass rate
88.2%
Above average — 13.5 pts ahead of the 74.7% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,522 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £31–£86
2010 Audi A8 MOT pass rate
- 2010
- typical 125,800 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
27.6% 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
- 86.9%
- Typical mileage
- 126k mi
The 2010 Audi A8 MOT pass rate is 88.2% of its MOT tests — 13.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.6% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.3× the national share
Suspension accounts for 27.6% of everything recorded on the 2010 Audi A8, against 21.0% nationally — 6.6 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- 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 74.7% and this one manages 88.2% — 13.5 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 2010 Audi A8 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.7%, so this figure is 13.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 86.9%. The median 2010 Audi A8 in this dataset had covered 125,800 mi.
93% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 88.2% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 88.5% of the time, April–September 87.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 3.42% of tests.
- 1,522 recorded tests behind this page.
- 88.2% overall pass rate, 86.9% 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
- 1,522
- Typical mileage (median)
- 125,800 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 79% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (93% 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 | 260 | 90.4% |
| West Midlands | 215 | 89.8% |
| East of England | 190 | 90.5% |
| North West | 182 | 84.1% |
| Yorkshire | 181 | 86.7% |
| East Midlands | 114 | 88.6% |
| Scotland | 104 | 81.7% |
| South West | 92 | 81.5% |
| London | 75 | 94.7% |
| North East | 74 | 90.5% |
| Wales | 35 | 94.3% |
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 2010 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 2010 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 3.4% 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 2.2% 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 tyre tread 1.3% of tests
“tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”
Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.
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 2010 A8 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £31–£86 — and 40% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £31–£86
- 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
- 40%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,522 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 2010 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 2010 cars with a similar record
- Nissan 370 Z 86.6%
- Porsche Cayenne 86.5%
- Toyota Estima 85.9%
- BMW M3 90.8%
- Lexus IS250 85.6%
- Jaguar Xk 85.5%
Closest pass rates among 2010 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 2010 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 1,828 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 | 511 | 27.60% | 20.98% | +6.62 |
| Tyres | 380 | 20.60% | 19.76% | +0.84 |
| Brakes | 347 | 18.80% | 20.89% | −2.09 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 163 | 8.80% | 12.21% | −3.41 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 120 | 6.50% | 5.52% | +0.98 |
| Visibility | 87 | 4.70% | 4.97% | −0.27 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 72 | 3.90% | 5.57% | −1.67 |
| Non-component advisories | 68 | 3.70% | 4.18% | −0.48 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 42 | 2.30% | 1.76% | +0.54 |
| Steering | 38 | 2.10% | 2.57% | −0.47 |
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 | 3.4% | £5–20 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.2% | £80–200 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.3% | £3–12 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.3% | £45–95 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.2% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.2% | £40–150 |
| Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.1% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 0.99% | £80–250 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 0.92% | £18–45 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 0.85% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 14.3% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 13.7% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.3% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 5.3% | £18–45 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 4.7% | £200–700 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 3.5% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 7 | 100.0% | 23,668 mi |
| 30-60k | 52 | 98.1% | 51,596 mi |
| 60-90k | 234 | 87.2% | 78,377 mi |
| 90-120k | 382 | 89.8% | 105,763 mi |
| 120k+ | 846 | 87.0% | 156,875 mi |
Source: 1,522 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.
2010 A8 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2010 Audi A8?
88.2% of the 1,522 2010 Audi A8 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.7% for cars first used in 2010. First-attempt pass rate: 86.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2010 Audi A8?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.42%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.23%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (1.31%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2010 Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 87.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2010 Audi A8 in this dataset had covered 125,800 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2010 Audi A8?
Diesel: 88.2% pass rate across 1,419 tests. Petrol: 88.3% pass rate across 103 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2010 Audi A8 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 88.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 87.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.