2018 Audi A1 MOT pass rate: 84.8% (58,580 tests)

2018-registered Audi A1s passed 84.8% of 58,580 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 1.5 points worse than same-age cars (86.4%). This is one of the lower-scoring A1 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

84.8%Pass rate, 2018 cars

98.5Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

58,580Tests analysed

38,005 miMedian mileage at test

85.0% / 82.5%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2018 A1 getting worse?

Pass rate of 2018-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	88.2% +0.1 vs same-age
2024	84.4% -1.8 vs same-age
2025	81.9% -2.9 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2018 A1

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Tyres	5,076	32.6%
2	Suspension	4,034	25.9%
3	Brakes	2,342	15.0%
4	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	1,631	10.5%
5	Noise, emissions and leaks	994	6.4%
6	Visibility	535	3.4%

All A1 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2010	4,143	69.5%	+2.1 pts	95,878
2011	47,941	70.2%	+1.0 pts	93,195
2012	54,560	72.8%	+1.6 pts	85,522
2013	65,942	73.7%	+0.4 pts	77,154
2014	67,970	76.9%	+1.0 pts	68,909
2015	70,194	79.4%	+0.7 pts	62,312
2016	75,533	79.5%	-1.8 pts	54,000
2017	67,899	81.7%	-2.3 pts	45,844
2018 (this page)	58,580	84.8%	-1.5 pts	38,005
2019	58,750	88.8%	+0.4 pts	32,466
2020	28,832	90.6%	+0.7 pts	26,001
2021	16,106	91.4%	+1.0 pts	24,915
2022	8,818	92.9%	+1.7 pts	20,714

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Audi A1 years to avoid.

Buying a 2018 A1? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2018 Audi A1 reliable?

2018-registered examples passed 84.8% of their MOT tests (58,580 tests, 2023–2025), -1.5 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 8 years old with a median 38,005 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2018 A1?

The median tested example shows 38,005 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.