How reliable is the Audi RS4 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Audi RS4, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 85.5% across 1,359 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What do testers most often warn about on a Audi RS4?

The most common advisory is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", noted on 12.6% of all Audi RS4 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Audi RS4 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,681 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.

Which Audi RS4 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Audi RS4 cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 89.3%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 84.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Audi RS4 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 89.3% of Audi RS4 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 84.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Audi RS4 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,359 recorded MOT tests of the Audi RS4, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,359 MOT tests, 85.5% of Audi RS4 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Audi RS4 fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 17.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 90,681 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

85.5%unadjusted, not comparable1,359 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the RS4. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 1,359 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Audi RS4 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc17.8%
30 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged16.0%
27 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc14.2%
24 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
4.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer11.8%
20 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged8.3%
14 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.5%
11 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded6.5%
11 occurrencesBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage5.9%
10 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
9.Headlamp levelling device inoperative5.9%
10 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.9%
10 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Audi RS4 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.6%
170 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured11.2%
151 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.9%
147 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.4%
73 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
5.A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded4.8%
65 testsBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
6.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage4.1%
55 testsShock absorber defective explained
7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.8%
52 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged3.8%
52 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Audi RS4

The 19 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

How wear changes the picture

RS4 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Audi RS4 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 9 to 11 was first used in 2014–2016.

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201689%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201388%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier84%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer RS4 outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The RS4 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 90,681
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (4)

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

RS4 AVANT
RS4 AVANT 4.2
RS4 CARBON BLACK
RS4 QUATTRO

Check a specific Audi RS4

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

Common questions

How reliable is the Audi RS4 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Audi RS4, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 85.5% across 1,359 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Audi RS4?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 17.8% of failed Audi RS4 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 RS4?: The most common advisory is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", noted on 12.6% of all Audi RS4 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Audi RS4 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,681 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.
Which Audi RS4 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Audi RS4 cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 89.3%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 84.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Audi RS4 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 89.3% of Audi RS4 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 84.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.