2025 MOT results
Audi Q7 common problems
The most common reason a Audi Q7 fails its MOT is a tyre worn below the legal limit, on 12.5% of its 8,650 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a rear fog lamp out at 3.9% of failures against 1.1% expected; a cut tyre at 11.3% of failures against 6.3% expected; the engine management light on at 9.1% of failures against 5.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 49,911 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 17.3% 8,650 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.8% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 46.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Audi Q7 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Audi Q7 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 |
|---|---|
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 12.5% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 11.3% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 9.4% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.1% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 8.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 7.2% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.6% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 4.7% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 4.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.0% |
| Rear fog lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.9% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Tyre worn below the legal limit
12.5% of failures 8.8% 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
11.3% of failures 6.3% expected 1.8 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.
-
Broken coil spring
9.4% of failures 8.3% 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.
-
Engine management light on
9.1% of failures 5.1% expected 1.8 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.
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Tyre worn through to the cords
8.3% of failures 5.4% expected 1.5 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.
-
Worn suspension bushes
7.2% 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Tyres is the area that most often fails a Audi Q7, on 36.0% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 26.2%.
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 | 36.0% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 22.8% |
| Suspension | 22.0% |
| Brakes | 19.2% |
| Visibility | 14.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.7% |
| Steering | 3.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
46.3% of Audi Q7 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Audi Q7s, 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 | 19.0% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.3% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.1% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 4.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 2.6% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.6% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 2.5% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 1.8% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 1.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Audi Q7 gets older
A 2022 Audi Q7 failed 10.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2007 one failed 28.2%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Audi Q7 10.4% failed, from 3,139 tests
- Cut tyre 28.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 16.9%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 10.7%
- Headlamp aim set too high 8.6%
- Engine management light on 6.4%
- Bulge in a tyre 6.4%
2007 Audi Q7 28.2% failed, from 2,455 tests
- Sidelight out 12.4%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.1%
- Weak handbrake 9.8%
- Engine management light on 9.4%
- Number plate lamp out 7.9%
- Brake light out 7.8%
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 Q7 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Audi Q7?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm” is the most common: it appears on 12.5% of failed Audi Q7 tests. Across categories, tyres is the area that most often fails one, on 36.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Audi Q7 fail its MOT?
17.3% of Audi Q7 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 49,911 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 67 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Audi Q7 than on other cars?
Yes. “Rear fog lamp: not working” appears on 3.9% of its failures against 1.1% for cars of the same age, and “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” appears on 11.3% of its failures against 6.3% 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 Q7 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 | 49,911 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.