2025 MOT results
Audi A3 common problems
The most common reason a Audi A3 fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 13.4% of its 101,581 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, one fault stands out: a split joint boot at 7.0% of failures against 3.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 420,524 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 24.2% 101,581 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.6% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 51.7% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Audi A3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Audi A3 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 13.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 10.8% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.7% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 7.0% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 7.0% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.9% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.8% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 6.5% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.7% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 4.9% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.5% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Broken coil spring
13.4% of failures 9.3% expected somewhat more 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
10.8% of failures 8.1% 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.
-
Engine management light on
7.7% of failures 5.3% expected 1.5 times as often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
-
Split joint boot
7.0% of failures 3.0% expected 2.3 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Cut tyre
7.0% of failures 4.9% expected somewhat more often
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
6.9% of failures 4.9% expected somewhat more often
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 A3, on 35.5% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is tyres, on 30.1% against 22.8% expected.
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 | 35.5% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 30.6% |
| Tyres | 30.1% |
| Brakes | 20.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12.1% |
| Visibility | 11.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 10.9% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
51.7% of Audi A3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Audi A3s, 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 | 19.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.7% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 5.6% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 5.4% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.8% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.2% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.0% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.1% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 3.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Audi A3 gets older
A 2022 Audi A3 failed 11.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2004 one failed 46.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Audi A3 11.0% failed, from 17,679 tests
- Cut tyre 26.4%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 19.2%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 16.3%
- Bulge in a tyre 7.0%
- Headlamp aim set too low 5.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 4.1%
2004 Audi A3 46.0% failed, from 2,556 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 18.6%
- Engine management light on 16.2%
- Split joint boot 14.4%
- Broken coil spring 9.6%
- Brake light out 8.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.1%
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 A3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Audi A3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 13.4% of failed Audi A3 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 35.5% of failed tests.
How often does a Audi A3 fail its MOT?
24.2% of Audi A3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 420,524 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 58 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Audi A3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 7.0% of its failures against 3.0% 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 A3 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 | 420,524 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.