Is the Audi S3 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Audi S3 is well above average. It passes 82.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 S3?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 16.2% of failed Audi S3 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 S3?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.4% of all Audi S3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Audi S3 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 60,927 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 S3 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Audi S3 cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 90.2%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 74.9%. 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 S3 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.2% of Audi S3 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 74.9%. 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 S3 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 7,331 recorded MOT tests of the Audi S3, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Audi S3 passes 82.3% 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 7,331 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 16.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 60,927 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

82.3%national average72.3%unadjusted85.2%range covered61%

The S3 is 10.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 85.2%; 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 S3 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 requirements16.2%
151 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged14.8%
138 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A tyre cords visible or damaged12.4%
116 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.4%
97 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.0%
93 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
6.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.9%
64 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged6.7%
63 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer6.4%
60 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
9.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction6.1%
57 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged6.0%
56 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Audi S3 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 requirements20.4%
1,497 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.1%
521 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.3%
459 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged4.1%
300 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded4.0%
290 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users3.7%
270 tests
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.4%
250 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.1%
229 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Audi S3

The 20 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

S3 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Audi S3 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202290%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201992%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201686%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201379%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier75%

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 S3 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 S3 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 60,927
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (27)

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

AUDI S3
S3 - CABRIOLET
S3 2.0 TFSI SPORTBACK AUTO
S3 AUTO
S3 BLACK ED TFSI QUATTRO S-A
S3 BLACK EDITION
S3 BLACK EDITION AUTO
S3 BLACK EDITION TFSI QUAT SA
S3 CABRIOLET
S3 NAV QUATTRO S-A
S3 QUATTRO
S3 QUATTRO AUTO
S3 QUATTRO AUTOMATIC
S3 QUATTRO S A
S3 QUATTRO S-A
S3 QUATTRO SPORTBACK DSG
S3 S-TRONIC QUATTRO
S3 SALOON
S3 SPORTBACK
S3 TFSI
S3 TFSI 310 QUATTRO START/STOP AUTO
S3 TFSI QUATTRO
S3 TFSI QUATTRO AUTO
S3 TFSI QUATTRO BLACK EDITION
S3 TFSI QUATTRO S-A
S3 TFSI S-LINE
S3 VORSPRUNG TFSI QUATTRO S-A

Check a specific Audi S3

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

Kia Proceed — 68.1% adjusted, ranked 194
Porsche Panamera — 87.8% adjusted, ranked 10
Fiat Scudo — 58.3% adjusted, ranked 260
Subaru Outback — 77.2% adjusted, ranked 84

Common questions

Is the Audi S3 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Audi S3 is well above average. It passes 82.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 S3?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 16.2% of failed Audi S3 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 S3?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.4% of all Audi S3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Audi S3 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 60,927 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 S3 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Audi S3 cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 90.2%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 74.9%. 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 S3 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.2% of Audi S3 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 74.9%. 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. 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.