Pass rate
92.7%
Above average — 1.5 pts ahead of the 91.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 273 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £51–£119
2021 Audi S4 MOT pass rate
- 2021
- typical 35,909 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
53.9% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tyre has a tear. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 92.9% pass
- Avoid 2003 77.9% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 15 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 92.1%
- Typical mileage
- 36k mi
The 2021 Audi S4 MOT pass rate is 92.7% of its MOT tests — 1.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 53.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Audi S4 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 2.7× the national share
Tyres make up 53.9% of everything recorded on the 2021 Audi S4, against 19.8% nationally — 34.1 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 0% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
- Based on a small sample. 273 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 S4? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2021 Audi S4 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 91.2%, so this figure is 1.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 92.1%. The median 2021 Audi S4 in this dataset had covered 35,909 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 92.8% of the time, April–September 92.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 2.93% of tests.
- 273 recorded tests behind this page.
- 92.7% overall pass rate, 92.1% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Audi S4, the average is 87.8% — best year 2020 (92.9%), worst 2003 (77.9%).
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
- 273
- Typical mileage (median)
- 35,909 mi
- Make and model
- Audi S4
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the S4 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 82% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the S4
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 49 | 87.8% |
| North West | 42 | 97.6% |
| Yorkshire | 37 | 91.9% |
| Scotland | 25 | 92.0% |
| North East | 24 | 91.7% |
| East Midlands | 21 | 90.5% |
| East of England | 20 | 95.0% |
| West Midlands | 19 | 89.5% |
| South West | 18 | 94.4% |
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 2021 S4
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 2021 S4
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 windscreen 2.9% 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 lights 0.7% of tests
“headlamp aim too high”
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.
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 2021 S4 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £51–£119 — and 0% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £51–£119
- Cheapest common item: headlamp aim too high
- £30–£80
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 0%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 273 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 S4, side by side
19 model years on record, from 2000 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 77.9% to 92.9% — a spread of 15 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 86.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 77.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 80.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 83.3% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2006 81.3% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2007 81.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 84.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2009 87.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2010 84.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 84.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2012 85.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 89.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 87.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 92.9% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2017 89.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 91.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 92.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 92.7%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 92.4% has ply or cords exposed
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 2021 Audi S4 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 2021 cars with a similar record
- Nissan Qashqai 92.7%
- BMW 118 92.7%
- MINI Countryman 92.7%
- Kia Rio 92.7%
- Toyota C-Hr Gr 92.7%
- MINI John COOPER Works 92.7%
Closest pass rates among 2021 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 2021 Audi S4 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 8 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 167 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 90 | 53.90% | 19.76% | +34.14 |
| Brakes | 30 | 18.00% | 20.89% | −2.89 |
| Suspension | 21 | 12.60% | 20.98% | −8.38 |
| Visibility | 10 | 6.00% | 4.97% | +1.03 |
| Non-component advisories | 9 | 5.40% | 4.18% | +1.22 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5 | 3.00% | 12.21% | −9.21 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1 | 0.60% | 5.52% | −4.92 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1 | 0.60% | 0.82% | −0.22 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.9% | £80–200 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 2.6% | £45–95 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 2.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 0.73% | £45–95 |
| Has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 0.73% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.73% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.73% | £30–80 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 0.37% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Rectified | 0.37% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.37% | £30–80 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.0% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 4.0% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 3.7% | £45–110 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Advisory | 3.3% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.3% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Advisory | 2.9% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 94 | 91.5% | 22,932 mi |
| 30-60k | 150 | 93.3% | 41,471 mi |
| 60-90k | 22 | 90.9% | 69,266 mi |
| 90-120k | 6 | 100.0% | 102,311 mi |
| 120k+ | 1 | 100.0% | 126,099 mi |
Source: 273 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.
2021 S4 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2021 Audi S4?
92.7% of the 273 2021 Audi S4 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 91.2% for cars first used in 2021. First-attempt pass rate: 92.1%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2021 Audi S4?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.93%), has ply or cords exposed (2.56%), has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.20%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2021 Audi S4 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 91.5% of the time, falling to 100.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2021 Audi S4 in this dataset had covered 35,909 mi.
Does the season affect the 2021 Audi S4 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 92.8% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 92.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.