2025 MOT results
Audi A6 common problems
The most common reason a Audi A6 fails its MOT is a tyre worn below the legal limit, on 12.6% of its 24,871 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 6 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: the engine management light on at 11.1% of failures against 5.3% expected; a tyre worn through to the cords at 7.6% of failures against 4.9% expected; a tyre worn below the legal limit at 12.6% of failures against 8.2% expected.
- Tests in 2025 121,899 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 20.4% 24,871 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.6% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 47.6% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Audi A6 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Audi A6 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 (11 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 |
|---|---|
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 12.6% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.1% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 7.9% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 7.6% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 7.5% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 7.1% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 6.9% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.4% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 4.7% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% |
| Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 4.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
12.6% of failures 8.2% expected 1.5 times as 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
11.1% of failures 5.3% expected 2.1 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.
-
Broken coil spring
7.9% of failures 9.2% expected about as expected
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 through to the cords
7.6% of failures 4.9% expected 1.6 times as 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.
-
Cut tyre
7.5% of failures 4.9% expected 1.5 times as 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.
-
Worn suspension bushes
7.1% of failures 4.7% expected 1.5 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Tyres is the area that most often fails a Audi A6, on 32.8% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 23.0%.
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 |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 32.8% |
| Suspension | 28.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 27.8% |
| Brakes | 13.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 13.4% |
| Visibility | 12.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 12.4% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
47.6% of Audi A6 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Audi A6s, 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 | 20.2% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 9.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 7.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 6.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 3.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.4% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.7% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 2.6% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.3% |
| Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 2.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Audi A6 gets older
A 2022 Audi A6 failed 9.1% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 35.3%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Audi A6 9.1% failed, from 4,044 tests
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 35.0%
- Cut tyre 21.7%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.1%
- Engine management light on 7.0%
- Worn brake pads 5.7%
- Leaking damper 5.4%
2006 Audi A6 35.3% failed, from 2,403 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 12.8%
- Sidelight out 12.2%
- Engine management light on 10.5%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.5%
- Linkage pins and bushes pin or bush worn 6.8%
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 A6 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Audi A6?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm” is the most common: it appears on 12.6% of failed Audi A6 tests. Across categories, tyres is the area that most often fails one, on 32.8% of failed tests.
How often does a Audi A6 fail its MOT?
20.4% of Audi A6 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 121,899 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 66 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Audi A6 than on other cars?
Yes. “Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction” appears on 11.1% of its failures against 5.3% for cars of the same age, and “Tyres: ply or cords exposed” appears on 7.6% of its failures against 4.9% 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 A6 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 | 121,899 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.