Audi A3 MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on an Audi A3 in Great Britain in 2025 — 420,942 tests. Figures cover every A3 first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the A3 ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
75.9%
3.6 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
420,942
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
7.6%
of A3 first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
81,250
middle half: 61,250–103,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Audi A3 cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 482,711 Audi A3 cars that were taxed or on SORN: 452,618 taxed and 30,093 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Audi A3 vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
452,618
93.8% of the 482,711 A3 cars taxed or on SORN; 296 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
30,093
declared off the road by their keepers — 6.2% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed A3 cars is still rising: 452,618 at the end of 2025, up 1,579 (0.4%) on the end of 2024, and the highest in the years shown. Cars on SORN went from 4,629 at the end of 2014 to 30,093 at the end of 2025, up 550.1%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed A3 cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

0100k200k300k400k500k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed A3 cars, year 2014: 351kTaxed A3 cars, year 2015: 381kTaxed A3 cars, year 2016: 407kTaxed A3 cars, year 2017: 423kTaxed A3 cars, year 2018: 431kTaxed A3 cars, year 2019: 431kTaxed A3 cars, year 2020: 428kTaxed A3 cars, year 2021: 434kTaxed A3 cars, year 2022: 438kTaxed A3 cars, year 2023: 445kTaxed A3 cars, year 2024: 451kTaxed A3 cars, year 2025: 453k453k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed A3 cars
2014351,110
2015381,443
2016406,594
2017423,168
2018430,730
2019431,480
2020428,190
2021434,167
2022438,081
2023444,774
2024451,039
2025452,618

A3 cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

010k20k30k40k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)A3 cars on SORN, year 2014: 5kA3 cars on SORN, year 2015: 7kA3 cars on SORN, year 2016: 9kA3 cars on SORN, year 2017: 12kA3 cars on SORN, year 2018: 14kA3 cars on SORN, year 2019: 17kA3 cars on SORN, year 2020: 19kA3 cars on SORN, year 2021: 20kA3 cars on SORN, year 2022: 22kA3 cars on SORN, year 2023: 24kA3 cars on SORN, year 2024: 27kA3 cars on SORN, year 2025: 30k30k
View this chart as a table
YearA3 cars on SORN
20144,629
20156,934
20169,214
201711,564
201813,901
201916,936
202019,306
202120,397
202221,569
202324,486
202427,018
202530,093

Which model years survive

Taxed A3 cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 452,618 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. 3 taxed A3 cars have no recorded year of manufacture and are not in the table, so the rows add up to 452,615. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed A3 cars
202521,5314.8%
202425,8915.7%
202325,4405.6%
202216,9513.7%
202119,5444.3%
202014,5093.2%
201916,9573.7%
201822,4044.9%
201728,3976.3%
201634,1537.5%
201538,0318.4%
201437,4038.3%
201327,0746.0%
201223,8415.3%
201119,1144.2%
201020,9964.6%
200918,2114.0%
200813,8483.1%
200710,1702.2%
20068,2721.8%
20055,1501.1%
All other build years (twelve years, each under 1%)4,7281.0%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name A3 under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the A3 ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, A3 vs all cars, 2025.

Audi A3All cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Audi A3, vehicle age 3: 89.1%Audi A3, vehicle age 4: 88.7%Audi A3, vehicle age 5: 88.2%Audi A3, vehicle age 6: 86.4%Audi A3, vehicle age 7: 86.7%Audi A3, vehicle age 8: 85%Audi A3, vehicle age 9: 82.8%Audi A3, vehicle age 10: 80.3%Audi A3, vehicle age 11: 77.3%Audi A3, vehicle age 12: 73.3%Audi A3, vehicle age 13: 65.6%Audi A3, vehicle age 14: 64.7%Audi A3, vehicle age 15: 62.2%Audi A3, vehicle age 16: 62.4%Audi A3, vehicle age 17: 59.2%Audi A3, vehicle age 18: 58.7%Audi A3, vehicle age 19: 56.3%Audi A3, vehicle age 20: 56.2%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%All cars 57.6%Audi A3 56.2%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)A3 testsA3 pass rateAll cars
317,79589.1%88.5%
420,63888.7%87.2%
515,74888.2%86.0%
620,84886.4%83.5%
726,91486.7%80.9%
833,69485.0%78.2%
938,66182.8%74.9%
1041,44780.3%71.9%
1138,53577.3%68.6%
1226,94373.3%65.8%
1324,81965.6%63.5%
1420,44164.7%61.2%
1522,99662.2%59.3%
1620,05562.4%58.3%
1716,14959.2%57.2%
1812,12058.7%57.4%
199,68156.3%57.0%
206,05256.2%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The A3's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the A3 beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

A3 aheadA3 behind
-10-5+0+5+10Age 3: +0.6 points vs the average car3Age 4: +1.5 points vs the average carAge 5: +2.2 points vs the average car5Age 6: +2.9 points vs the average carAge 7: +5.8 points vs the average car7Age 8: +6.8 points vs the average carAge 9: +7.9 points vs the average car9Age 10: +8.4 points vs the average carAge 11: +8.7 points vs the average car11Age 12: +7.5 points vs the average carAge 13: +2.1 points vs the average car13Age 14: +3.5 points vs the average carAge 15: +2.9 points vs the average car15Age 16: +4.1 points vs the average carAge 17: +2.0 points vs the average car17Age 18: +1.3 points vs the average carAge 19: -0.7 points vs the average car19Age 20: -1.4 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+0.6
4+1.5
5+2.2
6+2.9
7+5.8
8+6.8
9+7.9
10+8.4
11+8.7
12+7.5
13+2.1
14+3.5
15+2.9
16+4.1
17+2.0
18+1.3
19-0.7
20-1.4

The A3 fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the A3 fleet still in use.

012k25k37k50kAge 3: 17k3Age 4: 20kAge 5: 15k5Age 6: 20kAge 7: 26k7Age 8: 33kAge 9: 38k9Age 10: 41kAge 11: 38k11Age 12: 26kAge 13: 24k13Age 14: 20kAge 15: 22k15Age 16: 20kAge 17: 16k17Age 18: 12kAge 19: 9k19Age 20: 6k20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
317,795
420,638
515,748
620,848
726,914
833,694
938,661
1041,447
1138,535
1226,943
1324,819
1420,441
1522,996
1620,055
1716,149
1812,120
199,681
206,052

What an A3 fails on

Where the failure items land when an A3 fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Suspension23.9%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment20.1%
Tyres18.5%
Brakes14.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks6.6%
Visibility6.0%
Body, chassis, structure5.8%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.9%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (97.4% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a A3, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 33.5% of advisories33.5%Suspension: 27.7% of advisories27.7%Brakes: 23.4% of advisories23.4%Non-component advisories: 4.3% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 4.0% of advisoriesIdentification of the vehicle: 2.7% of advisories
TyresSuspensionBrakesNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaksIdentification of the vehicle
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres33.5%
Suspension27.7%
Brakes23.4%
Non-component advisories4.3%
Noise, emissions and leaks4.0%
Identification of the vehicle2.7%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid A3?

First-time pass rate for the three most-tested A3 fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Petrol: 80.1% of 216,759 tests80.1%Petrol216,759 testsDiesel: 70.3% of 191,098 tests70.3%Diesel191,098 testsHybrid electric: 86.2% of 13,083 tests86.2%Hybrid13,083 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Petrol216,75980.1%
Diesel191,09870.3%
Hybrid electric13,08386.2%

What mileage is normal for an A3?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) A3; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical A3 (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k175k3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 26,250 miles (middle half 18,750–36,250)Age 4: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 26,250–46,250)Age 5: typical 38,750 miles (middle half 28,750–51,250)Age 6: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 36,250–61,250)Age 7: typical 53,750 miles (middle half 41,250–68,750)Age 8: typical 63,750 miles (middle half 48,750–81,250)Age 9: typical 71,250 miles (middle half 56,250–91,250)Age 10: typical 81,250 miles (middle half 61,250–103,750)Age 11: typical 91,250 miles (middle half 68,750–116,250)Age 12: typical 103,750 miles (middle half 81,250–128,750)Age 13: typical 111,250 miles (middle half 88,750–138,750)Age 14: typical 118,750 miles (middle half 93,750–148,750)Age 15: typical 118,750 miles (middle half 93,750–146,250)Age 16: typical 123,750 miles (middle half 98,750–151,250)Age 17: typical 128,750 miles (middle half 101,250–156,250)Age 18: typical 136,250 miles (middle half 106,250–163,750)Age 19: typical 136,250 miles (middle half 108,750–166,250)Age 20: typical 136,250 miles (middle half 106,250–166,250)136k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
318,75026,25036,250
426,25033,75046,250
528,75038,75051,250
636,25046,25061,250
741,25053,75068,750
848,75063,75081,250
956,25071,25091,250
1061,25081,250103,750
1168,75091,250116,250
1281,250103,750128,750
1388,750111,250138,750
1493,750118,750148,750
1593,750118,750146,250
1698,750123,750151,250
17101,250128,750156,250
18106,250136,250163,750
19108,750136,250166,250
20106,250136,250166,250

What fails at each age

The A3's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresSuspensionBrakesVisibilityLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentNoise, emissions and leaksBody, chassis, structureEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres64.4%
3-5 yrsSuspension8.0%
3-5 yrsBrakes6.5%
3-5 yrsVisibility6.5%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4.6%
3-5 yrsEverything else10.0%
6-9 yrsTyres41.5%
6-9 yrsBrakes14.8%
6-9 yrsSuspension14.7%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment10.3%
6-9 yrsVisibility7.3%
6-9 yrsEverything else11.4%
10-13 yrsSuspension28.5%
10-13 yrsTyres21.5%
10-13 yrsBrakes15.7%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.3%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.7%
10-13 yrsEverything else12.3%
14+ yrsSuspension29.7%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment17.6%
14+ yrsBrakes17.1%
14+ yrsTyres11.2%
14+ yrsBody, chassis, structure9.0%
14+ yrsEverything else15.4%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.