Audi
5,436 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where S3 Tfsi Quattro S As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 17.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
94.5%
Pass-after-fix
0.7%
Fail
4.5%
Avg miles
26,515
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 · 5,434 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old S3 Tfsi Quattro S A examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
94.3%
Fail
5.0%
PRS
0.7%
Avg mileage at test
28,397 mi
Pass
94.6%
Fail
4.2%
PRS
0.7%
Avg mileage at test
25,680 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 768 MOT tests, the S3 Tfsi Quattro S-A returns 92.5% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. Tyre tread under the limit and a seriously damaged tyre round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 21,595, 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.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
34–42
out of 50
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
77 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
70 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
57 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
33 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
32 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Wiper blade defective
16 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
13 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
11 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
10 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Windscreen or window excessively tinted but not adversely affecting driver's view
8 occurrences · 0.1% 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
£120–£190
If every one of this S3 Tfsi Quattro 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. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy Audi S3 Tfsi Quattro S A makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
94.6%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 94.6% — a 0.4-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — 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
94.3%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 94.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 94.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 28,397 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (94.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (94.3% pass). That's a 0.4-point spread across 1,634 older tests and 3,800 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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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 S3 Tfsi Quattro 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.
