Is the Audi Q3 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Audi Q3 is well above average. It passes 81.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% 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 Q3?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 31.1% of failed Audi Q3 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 Q3?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.0% of all Audi Q3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Audi Q3 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 63,309 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 Q3 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 91.8% of Audi Q3 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 70.2%. 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 Q3 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Audi Q3 cars tested, 50% are petrol, 48% are diesel, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Audi Q3 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 140,809 recorded MOT tests of the Audi Q3, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Audi Q3 passes 81.5% 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 140,809 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 31.1% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 63,309 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

81.5%national average72.3%unadjusted82.4%range covered78%

The Q3 is 9.2 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 82.4%; 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 Q3 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened31.1%
6,781 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements20.3%
4,430 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.3%
2,897 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged12.4%
2,698 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.8%
2,141 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged7.9%
1,727 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.2%
1,566 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.0%
1,101 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
9.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction3.5%
755 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
10.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc3.4%
732 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Audi Q3 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 requirements25.0%
35,247 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured15.9%
22,395 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged14.8%
20,815 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.6%
14,888 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.5%
13,445 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded6.6%
9,302 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage5.8%
8,195 testsShock absorber defective explained
8.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt4.3%
6,016 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs92%

6–8 yrs86%

9–11 yrs76%

12–14 yrs70%

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

What gets tested

The Q3 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 63,309
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol50.5%
Diesel48.2%
Hybrid1.3%

Trim names grouped into this model (40)

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

Q3 2.0 TFSI S LINE S TRONIC QUATTRO
Q3 QUATTRO T 2.0 AUTO
Q3 S LINE 35 TDI
Q3 S LINE 35 TDI QUATTRO
Q3 S LINE 35 TDI QUATTRO S-A
Q3 S LINE 35 TDI S-A
Q3 S LINE 35 TFSI
Q3 S LINE 35 TFSI MHEV S-A
Q3 S LINE 35 TFSI S-A
Q3 S LINE 40 TDI QUATTRO S-A
Q3 S LINE 40 TFSI QUATTRO S-A
Q3 S LINE 45 TFSI E S-A
Q3 S LINE 45 TFSI QUATTRO S-A
Q3 S LINE BLACK ED 35 TDI S-A
Q3 S LINE BLACK ED 35 TFS
Q3 S LINE BLACK ED 35 TFSI
Q3 S LINE BLACK ED 35 TFSI SA
Q3 S LINE BLACK EDITION 35 TDI
Q3 S LINE BLCK ED 45 TFSI E SA
Q3 S LINE BLK ED TFSI QUAT SA
Q3 S LINE ED 1 35 TDI QUAT S-A
Q3 S LINE ED 1 35 TDI QUATTRO
Q3 S LINE ED 1 35 TFSI MHEV SA
Q3 S LINE ED 1 40 TDI QUAT SA
Q3 S LINE ED 1 40 TFSI QUAT SA
Q3 S LINE ED 1 45 TFSI QUAT SA
Q3 S LINE EDITION 1 35 TDI S-A
Q3 S LINE EDITION 1 35 TFSI
Q3 S LINE TFSI QUATTRO
Q3 S LINE VOR 40 TFSI QUAT S-A
Q3 S LINE VOR 45 TFSI QUAT S-A
Q3 S LINE VORSPRUNG 35 TDI S-A
Q3 S LINE VSPRUNG 45 TFSI E SA
Q3 S LN BLK ED 35 TFSI MHEV SA
Q3 S LN BLK ED 40 TFSI QUAT SA
Q3 S LN BLK ED 45 TFSI QUAT SA
Q3 S LN VSPRUNG 35 TDI QUAT SA
Q3 S LN VSPRUNG 35TFSI MHEV SA
Q3 S LNE BLK ED 35 TDI QUAT SA
Q3 S LNE BLK ED 40 TDI QUAT SA

Check a specific Audi Q3

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 A5 — 79.1% adjusted
Audi A6 — 82.4% adjusted
Audi Q5 — 81.6% adjusted
All Audi models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Land Rover Discovery — 80.1% adjusted, ranked 54
Peugeot 3008 — 65.6% adjusted, ranked 216
Volkswagen Caddy — 72.1% adjusted, ranked 148
Peugeot 2008 — 69.0% adjusted, ranked 179

Common questions

Is the Audi Q3 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Audi Q3 is well above average. It passes 81.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% 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 Q3?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 31.1% of failed Audi Q3 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 Q3?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.0% of all Audi Q3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Audi Q3 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 63,309 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 Q3 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 91.8% of Audi Q3 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 70.2%. 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 Q3 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Audi Q3 cars tested, 50% are petrol, 48% are diesel, 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.