2018 Audi A4 MOT pass rate: 84.8% (40,229 tests)

2018-registered Audi A4s passed 84.8% of 40,229 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 1.6 points worse than same-age cars (86.4%). This is one of the lower-scoring A4 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

84.8%Pass rate, 2018 cars

98.4Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

40,229Tests analysed

52,900 miMedian mileage at test

84.9% / 84.4%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2018 A4 getting worse?

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

Test year	Pass rate
2023	87.0% -1.0 vs same-age
2024	85.3% -0.9 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 A4

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Tyres	3,940	39.3%
2	Suspension	3,193	31.9%
3	Brakes	1,107	11.1%
4	Visibility	625	6.2%
5	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	310	3.1%
6	Noise, emissions and leaks	241	2.4%

All A4 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2001	2,760	68.1%	+1.6 pts	144,997
2002	6,064	66.5%	+0.9 pts	149,856
2003	11,458	67.6%	+2.6 pts	143,484
2004	19,594	67.5%	+3.2 pts	142,220
2005	22,713	68.9%	+4.4 pts	136,716
2006	38,466	69.2%	+4.7 pts	133,471
2007	44,714	70.2%	+5.1 pts	133,551
2008	45,320	70.2%	+5.1 pts	135,469
2009	37,963	71.5%	+5.1 pts	136,026
2010	38,587	72.9%	+5.6 pts	132,423
2011	40,807	75.1%	+6.0 pts	126,868
2012	39,888	77.0%	+5.7 pts	117,216
2013	47,511	77.9%	+4.5 pts	106,392
2014	50,017	78.3%	+2.4 pts	98,391
2015	48,644	79.5%	+0.8 pts	87,904
2016	65,415	81.8%	+0.4 pts	76,904
2017	62,938	83.4%	-0.6 pts	65,817
2018 (this page)	40,229	84.8%	-1.6 pts	52,900
2019	38,252	87.3%	-1.1 pts	43,844
2020	17,679	89.4%	-0.5 pts	35,208

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Audi A4 years to avoid.

Buying a 2018 A4? 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 A4 reliable?

2018-registered examples passed 84.8% of their MOT tests (40,229 tests, 2023–2025), -1.6 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 8 years old with a median 52,900 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2018 A4?

The median tested example shows 52,900 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.