2025 MOT results
Audi A1 common problems
The most common reason a Audi A1 fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 14.3% of its 55,794 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: worn suspension bushes at 14.3% of failures against 4.3% expected; a split joint boot at 5.0% of failures against 2.2% expected; worn brake discs at 3.8% of failures against 2.2% expected.
- Tests in 2025 235,378 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 23.7% 55,794 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.7% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 49.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Audi A1 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Audi A1 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 14.3% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 14.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 10.6% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 8.3% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 6.7% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.8% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 5.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 4.5% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.2% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.9% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 3.8% |
| Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn Brakes | 3.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn suspension bushes
14.3% of failures 4.3% expected 3.3 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Broken coil spring
14.1% of failures 9.2% expected 1.5 times as often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
10.6% of failures 8.9% expected somewhat more often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Worn brake pads
8.3% of failures 7.4% expected about as expected
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Cut tyre
6.7% of failures 6.0% expected about as expected
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
5.8% of failures 5.3% expected about as expected
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Audi A1, on 38.4% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 29.5%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 38.4% |
| Tyres | 29.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 22.6% |
| Brakes | 18.8% |
| Visibility | 11.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.9% |
| Steering | 5.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
49.5% of Audi A1 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Audi A1s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 18.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 13.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 8.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.1% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.5% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 2.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.4% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.1% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 1.9% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 1.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Audi A1 gets older
A 2022 Audi A1 failed 9.5% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2011 one failed 36.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Audi A1 9.5% failed, from 14,940 tests
- Cut tyre 21.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 19.4%
- Worn brake pads 8.7%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.0%
- Faulty seat belt 7.3%
- Washers that do not work 5.6%
2011 Audi A1 36.0% failed, from 15,694 tests
- Broken coil spring 15.1%
- Split joint boot 11.6%
- Worn suspension bushes 11.4%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.8%
- Sidelight out 6.6%
- Headlamp aim set too high 6.1%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Audi A1 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Audi A1?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 14.3% of failed Audi A1 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 38.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Audi A1 fail its MOT?
23.7% of Audi A1 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 235,378 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 48 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Audi A1 than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 14.3% of its failures against 4.3% for cars of the same age, and “Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 5.0% of its failures against 2.2% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Audi A1 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 235,378 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.