MOT cost .
Audi Q5
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Audi

Q5

209,595 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Q5s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 9.4 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

86.9%

Pass-after-fix

2.3%

Fail

10.5%

Avg miles

76,832

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

Trim variants

S Line 40 TDI Mhev Quat S A 92.4% 7,730 S Line 45 Tfsi Mhev Quat SA 93.1% 4,272 Sport 40 TDI Mhev Quat S A 91.1% 3,297 S Line 50 Tfsi E Quattro SA 93.1% 2,900 S LN Comp 55 Tfsi E Quat SA 93.5% 2,130 S LN ED1 40tdi Mhev Quat SA 94.8% 1,939

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 209,595 tests

Pass rate climbs 10.0 points across the cohorts — newer Q5 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 152,827

Pass

85.0%

Fail

12.1%

PRS

2.5%

Avg mileage at test

88,695 mi

2018–2020 cohort 56,229

Pass

91.9%

Fail

6.2%

PRS

1.6%

Avg mileage at test

45,076 mi

2021+ cohort 539

Pass

95.0%

Fail

4.3%

PRS

0.4%

Avg mileage at test

28,301 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 2

Audi Q5 · UK market

Audi Q5 2008-2017

2008–2017

Audi Q5 2017-now

2017–now

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Audi Q5: solid MOT record across 110,985 tests

The Audi Q5 is a series of compact luxury crossover SUVs produced by the German luxury car manufacturer Audi from 2008. The original first-generation model was the third member of the B8 family to be released after the Audi A5 and fourth-generation A4, all being based on the Audi MLB platform.

MOT data from 110,985 tests puts this car on an 85.2% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 68,992 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc.

For used buyers, the Q5's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 30–42

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

30–42

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    4,867 occurrences · 2.3% of tests

  2. 02

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

    4,447 occurrences · 2.1% of tests

  3. 03

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    4,072 occurrences · 1.9% of tests

  4. 04

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    3,258 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  5. 05

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    2,745 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  6. 06

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    2,224 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  7. 07

    A tyre seriously damaged

    2,012 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  8. 08

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    1,869 occurrences · 0.9% of tests

  9. 09

    Wiper blade defective

    1,296 occurrences · 0.6% of tests

  10. 10

    Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction

    1,097 occurrences · 0.5% 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 2 failures

£140–£335

If every one of this Q5'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 10.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Audi Q5 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

95.0%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 95.0% — a 10.0-point improvement. Tests in this band average 28,301 miles — roughly 60K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: incorrect colour, adversely affected by the operation of another lamp — 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

85.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 85.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot severely deteriorated, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 88,695 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (95.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (85.0% pass). That's a 10.0-point spread across 152,827 older tests and 539 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Summit ADRG-215 Audi Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

Summit

Summit ADRG-215 Audi Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£9.89

View at My Motor World →

Summit ADRG-216 Audi Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

Summit

Summit ADRG-216 Audi Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£14.29

View at My Motor World →

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

Draper Expert

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

£18.69

View at My Motor World →

Draper Expert Audi/VW Drain Plug Key, 1/2" Sq. Dr.

Draper Expert

Draper Expert Audi/VW Drain Plug Key, 1/2" Sq. Dr.

£21.99

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Recall history

28 UK recalls on record.

The Q5 has 28 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Q5?

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 a Q5 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.