2004 Audi A3 MOT pass rate: 61.6% (10,467 tests)

2004-registered Audi A3s passed 61.6% of 10,467 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 2.7 points worse than same-age cars (64.3%). This is one of the lower-scoring A3 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

61.6%Pass rate, 2004 cars

97.3Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

10,467Tests analysed

133,182 miMedian mileage at test

63.6% / 59.7%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2004 A3 getting worse?

Pass rate of 2004-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	60.4% -3.5 vs same-age
2024	62.5% -1.6 vs same-age
2025	62.6% -2.7 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 2004 A3

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	3,520	23.5%
2	Suspension	3,227	21.6%
3	Brakes	2,427	16.2%
4	Noise, emissions and leaks	1,485	9.9%
5	Body, chassis, structure	1,390	9.3%
6	Tyres	1,250	8.3%

All A3 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2001	2,646	67.2%	+0.6 pts	128,342
2002	3,693	64.8%	-0.9 pts	135,938
2003	4,828	64.5%	-0.5 pts	132,959
2004 (this page)	10,467	61.6%	-2.7 pts	133,182
2005	23,828	64.0%	-0.4 pts	137,184
2006	35,677	64.1%	-0.3 pts	135,366
2007	43,676	66.4%	+1.2 pts	133,074
2008	55,920	66.6%	+1.5 pts	126,012
2009	66,243	68.4%	+2.0 pts	120,103
2010	73,679	68.4%	+1.0 pts	113,344
2011	63,911	70.5%	+1.4 pts	113,800
2012	76,314	72.3%	+1.1 pts	105,458
2013	81,420	78.3%	+5.0 pts	96,528
2014	115,893	82.2%	+6.4 pts	84,782
2015	123,925	85.1%	+6.4 pts	74,559
2016	115,727	87.2%	+5.9 pts	64,458
2017	100,569	88.3%	+4.3 pts	55,719
2018	79,981	89.5%	+3.1 pts	46,072
2019	61,443	89.7%	+1.3 pts	38,664
2020	13,546	90.1%	+0.2 pts	30,588

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Audi A3 years to avoid.

Buying a 2004 A3? 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 2004 Audi A3 reliable?

2004-registered examples passed 61.6% of their MOT tests (10,467 tests, 2023–2025), -2.7 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 22 years old with a median 133,182 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2004 A3?

The median tested example shows 133,182 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.

Should I buy the petrol or diesel 2004 A3?

In this cohort petrols pass 63.6% of tests against 59.7% for diesels. Mileage and use can explain part of that gap, so treat it as a reason to inspect DPF and emissions history, not a fuel-type verdict.

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.