2025 MOT results
Audi Q3 common problems
The most common reason a Audi Q3 fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 24.2% of its 24,764 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 2 faults stand out: a broken coil spring at 24.2% of failures against 8.8% expected; worn suspension bushes at 7.5% of failures against 4.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 140,820 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 17.6% 24,764 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 47.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Audi Q3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Audi Q3 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 24.2% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 12.7% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 8.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 7.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 7.5% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.5% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.3% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.6% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.0% |
| Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | 3.4% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.1% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 2.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Broken coil spring
24.2% of failures 8.8% expected 2.7 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
12.7% of failures 9.1% 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.
-
Cut tyre
8.7% of failures 6.5% 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.
-
Worn brake pads
7.8% of failures 7.7% 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.
-
Worn suspension bushes
7.5% of failures 4.1% expected 1.8 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
6.5% of failures 7.1% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Audi Q3, on 40.3% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 27.5%.
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 | 40.3% |
| Tyres | 31.5% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 15.6% |
| Brakes | 15.0% |
| Visibility | 14.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.1% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
47.5% of Audi Q3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Audi Q3s, 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 | 17.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.1% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.8% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 5.9% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 4.7% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.3% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.7% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.6% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.0% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 1.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Audi Q3 gets older
A 2022 Audi Q3 failed 7.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2012 one failed 30.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Audi Q3 7.4% failed, from 11,484 tests
- Cut tyre 28.0%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 21.5%
- Worn brake pads 12.5%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 9.6%
- Washers that do not work 6.1%
- Non-standard number plate 3.6%
2012 Audi Q3 30.5% failed, from 6,596 tests
- Broken coil spring 30.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.7%
- Engine management light on 11.2%
- Split joint boot 7.7%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.5%
- Worn suspension bushes 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 Q3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Audi Q3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 24.2% of failed Audi Q3 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 40.3% of failed tests.
How often does a Audi Q3 fail its MOT?
17.6% of Audi Q3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 140,820 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 61 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Audi Q3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Coil spring: fractured or broken” appears on 24.2% of its failures against 8.8% for cars of the same age, and “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 7.5% of its failures against 4.1% 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 Q3 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 | 140,820 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.