Is the Audi A7 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Audi A7 is well above average. It passes 86.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 76% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Audi A7?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 25.3% of failed Audi A7 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Audi A7?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.8% of all Audi A7 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Audi A7 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 86,584 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Audi A7 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.7% of Audi A7 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 75.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Audi A7 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Audi A7 cars tested, 88% are diesel, 11% are petrol, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Audi A7 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 16,855 recorded MOT tests of the Audi A7, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Audi A7 passes 86.0% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average. Based on 16,855 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 25.3% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 86,584 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

86.0%national average72.3%unadjusted84.5%range covered76%

The A7 is 13.7 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 84.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Audi A7 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements25.3%
572 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.1%
365 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A tyre cords visible or damaged16.1%
363 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged15.0%
339 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened9.0%
203 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged7.0%
158 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.7%
151 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged6.5%
148 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.3%
119 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements4.4%
99 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Audi A7 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.8%
4,007 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.4%
2,098 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.1%
1,366 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.2%
1,208 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged4.2%
709 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.0%
669 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.9%
652 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users3.4%
572 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs89%

6–8 yrs88%

9–11 yrs84%

12–14 yrs81%

15+ yrs75%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The A7 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 86,584
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel87.5%
Petrol11.2%
Hybrid1.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (28)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

A7 45 TDI QUATTRO
A7 BLACK ED 50 TFSI E QUAT S-A
A7 COMPETITION 55TFSI E QTO SA
A7 S LINE 40 TDI MHEV S-A
A7 S LINE 45 TDI MHEV QUAT S-A
A7 S LINE 45 TFSI MHEV QUAT SA
A7 S LINE 50 TFSI E QUATTRO SA
A7 S LINE BLK ED 40TDI MHEV SA
A7 S LINE BLK ED 45 TDI QUAT A
A7 S LINE EXC 40 TDI MHEV SA
A7 S LN BLK ED 40TDI MHEV Q SA
A7 S LN BLK ED 45TDI MHEV Q SA
A7 S LN BLK ED 50TDI MHEV Q SA
A7 S LN VOR 45TDI MHEV QUAT SA
A7 SLN BLACK ED 50TFSI E QT SA
A7 SLN BLK ED 45TFSI MHEV Q SA
A7 SLN BLK ED 55TFSI MHEV Q SA
A7 SLN VSPRUNG 50 TFSI E QT SA
A7 SPORT 40 TDI MHEV S-A
A7 SPORT 45 TDI MHEV QUAT S-A
A7 SPORT 45 TFSI MHEV QUAT SA
A7 SPORT 50 TFSI E QUATTRO S-A
A7 SPORT ED 40 TDI MHEV QTO SA
A7 SPORT ED 40 TDI MHEV S-A
A7 SPORT ED 45TFSI MHEV QTO SA
A7 SPORT ED 50 TDI MHEV QTO SA
A7 TDI
A7 TFSI QUATTRO

Check a specific Audi A7

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Audi models

Audi A3 — 77.8% adjusted
Audi A4 — 77.8% adjusted
Audi A1 — 73.7% adjusted
Audi Q3 — 81.5% adjusted
Audi A5 — 79.1% adjusted
Audi A6 — 82.4% adjusted
All Audi models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Renault Master — 71.7% adjusted, ranked 154
Subaru Impreza — 78.5% adjusted, ranked 70
Alfa Romeo Mito — 61.6% adjusted, ranked 249
Peugeot Bipper — 59.3% adjusted, ranked 254

Common questions

Is the Audi A7 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Audi A7 is well above average. It passes 86.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 76% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Audi A7?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 25.3% of failed Audi A7 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Audi A7?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.8% of all Audi A7 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Audi A7 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 86,584 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Audi A7 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.7% of Audi A7 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 75.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Audi A7 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Audi A7 cars tested, 88% are diesel, 11% are petrol, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.