Audi S3 MOT reliability

Audi S3s passed their MOT first time 85% of the time across 7,337 tests in 2025. 36,106 are still licensed in Great Britain.

First-time pass rate

85%

MOTs analysed

7,337

Still licensed (GB)

36,106

Body type

Hatchback

Pass rate by year of first registration

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of the same age. Years with very few MOTs can show extreme pass rates, even 0% or 100%, so give more weight to years with more tests.

In detail:

First registered

2021 petrol

1,576 MOTs

Passed first time 91%. Typical mileage 31,065 (most between 23,371 and 40,256).

2021: 100% → 2022: 100% → 2023: 94% → 2024: 92% → 2025: 91%

Most common failures

Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.0%)
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (1.4%)
Condition: has ply or cords exposed (1.2%)
Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (1.1%)
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick (0.7%)

Where 2021 S3s fail

Wheels & tyres

5.8%

Brakes

1.2%

Lights & electrics

1.1%

Visibility & wipers

0.9%

Suspension & axles

0.4%

Exhaust, emissions & leaks

0.3%

Seat belts & other equipment

0.3%

Body, structure & corrosion

0.1%

Looking at a particular car?

See its own MOT history, mileage and red flags, compared with these figures. Free.

Based on 2025 initial MOT tests in DVSA's anonymised MOT dataset (cars and light vans). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Model details: Vehicle data by VehiclesDB.