Audi
4,156 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 11.1 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
88.6%
Pass-after-fix
1.4%
Fail
9.6%
Avg miles
33,829
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 4,156 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.8 points across the cohorts — newer A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S A examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
86.0%
Fail
10.6%
PRS
1.8%
Avg mileage at test
43,458 mi
Pass
88.8%
Fail
9.5%
PRS
1.3%
Avg mileage at test
33,012 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 4,156 MOT tests, the A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S-A returns 88.6% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Windscreen damage and a tyre with the cords showing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 33,829, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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A tyre seriously damaged
155 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
102 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
91 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
77 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Wiper blade defective
48 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
24 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
11 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
11 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative
10 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
10 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£140–£235
If every one of this A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S A's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.8-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Audi A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S A makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
88.8%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 88.8% — a 2.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 33,012 miles — roughly 10K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
86.0%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 86.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and has ply or cords exposed. Average mileage on test for this band is 43,458 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (88.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (86.0% pass). That's a 2.8-point spread across 329 older tests and 3,827 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Sharp looks and classy interior, frugal engine line-up, impressive standard equipment levels.
Report of battery cut out on 2021 Audi A3 1.5 TSI. Dealer has suggested that the problem may be caused by driving over a hump or pothole in the road. Audi dealer says this is a "common problem which is being taken up with Audi as the switches are too sensitive". Compare new Audi A3 deals Buy new from £25,529(list price from £30,300) View offers
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 1 reports indexed
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own an A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S A and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
