Pass rate, every year
358,958 tests across 16 model years, 2008–2023.
+6.6 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
358,958 tests across 16 model years, 2008–2023.
+6.6 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2023 97.0%
The strongest of the 16 years on record. See the 2023 page →
Worst year to buy
2009 78.0%
19.0 points below the 2023 peak. See the 2009 page →
The Audi Q5 MOT pass rate is 87.6%, +6.6 percentage points above the UK average. That is 358,958 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2008 and 2023. This page lists the most common Audi Q5 MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Audi Q5 passed on its first attempt in 86.0%, and its overall record sits +6.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Audi Q5 in the 2023–2025 data: 358,958 tests across 16 model years (2008–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 358,958 |
| Overall pass rate | 87.6% |
| Passed on first attempt | 86.0% |
| Average mileage at test | 77,732 mi |
| Model years covered | 2008–2023 (16 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +6.6 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Audi Q5, the Body, chassis, structure section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Body, chassis, structure | 28% |
| Visibility | 23% |
| Suspension | 18% |
| Tyres | 14% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6% |
| Brakes | 4% |
Shares are over the Audi Q5's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 28% of the recorded Audi Q5 failures fall in the Body, chassis, structure section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (2.2%), "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (2.2%), "Door condition cannot be opened from outside the vehicle" (0.0%) among the Audi Q5's body, chassis, structure faults.
Around 23% of the recorded Audi Q5 failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (3.0%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.5%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.1%) among the Audi Q5's visibility faults.
Around 18% of the recorded Audi Q5 failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Coil spring fractured or broken" (1.3%), "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (1.3%), "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (0.1%) among the Audi Q5's suspension faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Audi Q5, each with how many of the model's 358,958 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Audi Q5 model year on record is 2023 (97.0% across 332 tests), and the weakest is 2009 (78.0%). The gap between them is 19.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Audi Q5 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.1 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Q5 | 332 | 97.0% |
| 2022 Q5 | 7,407 | 94.0% |
| 2021 Q5 | 22,087 | 92.6% |
| 2020 Q5 | 26,636 | 93.2% |
| 2019 Q5 | 38,568 | 92.3% |
| 2018 Q5 | 42,695 | 90.4% |
| 2017 Q5 | 34,165 | 86.3% |
| 2016 Q5 | 37,615 | 88.0% |
| 2015 Q5 | 35,605 | 86.9% |
| 2014 Q5 | 29,452 | 86.1% |
| 2013 Q5 | 21,167 | 85.0% |
| 2012 Q5 | 16,063 | 83.0% |
| 2011 Q5 | 19,502 | 80.8% |
| 2010 Q5 | 13,240 | 79.2% |
| 2009 Q5 | 13,810 | 78.0% |
| 2008 Q5 | 614 | 80.0% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Audi Q5's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Audi Q5.
the windscreen — “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.
the coil springs — “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.
the suspension joints — “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.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Audi Q5. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every Q5 model year on record (2008–2023): 172,363 Audi Q5 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 358,898 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 4,806 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) | 4,806 | 90.0% |
| 2 | Leicester (LE) | 3,967 | 86.2% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 3,492 | 89.2% |
| 4 | Reading (RG) | 3,142 | 87.8% |
| 5 | Sheffield (S) | 3,129 | 89.7% |
| 6 | Glasgow (G) | 3,017 | 86.4% |
| 7 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 3,008 | 88.0% |
| 8 | Chelmsford (CM) | 2,897 | 89.3% |
| 9 | Nottingham (NG) | 2,808 | 86.1% |
| 10 | Guildford (GU) | 2,779 | 86.0% |
| 11 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 2,522 | 88.9% |
| 12 | High Wycombe (HP) | 2,372 | 89.0% |
| 13 | Coventry (CV) | 2,341 | 88.2% |
| 14 | Manchester (M) | 2,305 | 88.9% |
| 15 | Derby (DE) | 2,229 | 88.6% |
| 16 | Hounslow (TW) | 2,228 | 89.8% |
| 17 | Cardiff (CF) | 2,216 | 86.1% |
| 18 | Ashford (TN) | 2,204 | 87.9% |
| 19 | Aberdeen (AB) | 2,170 | 83.1% |
| 20 | Gloucester (GL) | 2,058 | 86.8% |
The twenty areas with the most Audi Q5 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 →
87.6% of the 358,958 recorded Audi Q5 MOT tests ended in a pass, +6.6 percentage points above the national average. 86.0% of those passed on the first attempt.
2023 is the strongest Audi Q5 year on record at 97.0%, while 2009 is the weakest at 78.0%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Audi Q5 failures are "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" and "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" — together around 5% of tests, mostly in the Visibility section.