2018 Audi A5 MOT pass rate: 85.8% (33,784 tests)

2018-registered Audi A5s passed 85.8% of 33,784 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — broadly in line with same-age cars (86.4%). This is one of the lower-scoring A5 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

85.8%Pass rate, 2018 cars

99.5Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

33,784Tests analysed

48,649 miMedian mileage at test

86.4% / 84.2%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2018 A5 getting worse?

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

Test year	Pass rate
2023	88.2% +0.2 vs same-age
2024	86.1% -0.2 vs same-age
2025	83.2% -1.6 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 A5

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Tyres	3,411	43.3%
2	Suspension	2,216	28.1%
3	Brakes	888	11.3%
4	Visibility	440	5.6%
5	Noise, emissions and leaks	256	3.3%
6	Identification of the vehicle	180	2.3%

All A5 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2007	3,958	76.0%	+10.9 pts	137,779
2008	11,637	74.4%	+9.3 pts	130,076
2009	17,266	75.0%	+8.6 pts	121,659
2010	29,772	75.0%	+7.6 pts	116,464
2011	28,468	76.1%	+6.9 pts	108,625
2012	27,443	78.2%	+7.0 pts	103,399
2013	31,522	78.5%	+5.1 pts	96,444
2014	31,639	80.6%	+4.8 pts	88,280
2015	30,666	82.1%	+3.3 pts	78,499
2016	24,709	82.5%	+1.1 pts	69,062
2017	41,424	84.0%	-0.0 pts	59,706
2018 (this page)	33,784	85.8%	-0.5 pts	48,649
2019	29,370	87.4%	-1.0 pts	39,116
2020	6,674	88.9%	-1.0 pts	31,488

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Audi A5 years to avoid.

Buying a 2018 A5? 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 A5 reliable?

2018-registered examples passed 85.8% of their MOT tests (33,784 tests, 2023–2025), -0.5 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 8 years old with a median 48,649 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2018 A5?

The median tested example shows 48,649 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.