Audi SQ8 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Audi SQ8 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Audi SQ8 passed on its first attempt in 92.5%, and its overall record sits +12.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Audi SQ8 in the 2023–2025 data: 912 tests across 4 model years (2019–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Audi SQ8 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Audi SQ8, the Tyres section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Audi SQ8's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Audi SQ8 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Audi SQ8, each with how many of the model's 912 tests it was noted on.

• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 31 Audi SQ8 tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 6 Audi SQ8 tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 5 Audi SQ8 tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements" (Major) — noted on about 5 Audi SQ8 tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 5 Audi SQ8 tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 3 Audi SQ8 tests, 0.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Audi SQ8 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Audi SQ8 model year on record is 2019 (96.4% across 55 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (91.3%). The gap between them is 5.1 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Audi SQ8 reliability is declining in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.6 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Audi SQ8 Owners

These checks follow this Audi SQ8's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Audi SQ8.

• the tyre tread — “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.

• the number plates — “registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements”

  Check both plates are present, legible and correctly spaced, with the postcode of the supplier and the BS AU 145e mark. A private plate in the wrong style is a fail before the car is even looked at.

• the lights — “malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction”

  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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Audi SQ8. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Audi SQ8 MOT & Reliability