Audi Q5 years to avoid — 284,190 MOT tests ranked

No clear negative outlier after correcting for age. Strongest in the data: 2012 or 2013. The ranking uses 284,190 MOT tests across 12 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age.

Every Q5 year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

RankYearIndexVs same-agePass rateTests
1 2013 Strong 109.3 +9.3 pts 82.6% 18,185
2 2012 Strong 108.7 +8.7 pts 79.9% 13,542
3 2014 108.2 +8.2 pts 84.1% 25,614
4 2011 107.6 +7.6 pts 76.8% 16,092
5 2010 107.1 +7.1 pts 74.5% 10,748
6 2015 106.4 +6.4 pts 85.1% 31,177
7 2009 106.4 +6.4 pts 72.8% 11,137
8 2016 105.2 +5.2 pts 86.5% 33,381
9 2019 103.4 +3.4 pts 91.8% 34,896
10 2018 103.1 +3.1 pts 89.5% 38,931
11 2020 103.0 +3.0 pts 93.0% 20,641
12 2017 100.3 +0.3 pts 84.4% 29,846

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished older example beats a neglected 2012 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
  • Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
  • Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which Q5 years should I avoid?

No year is a clear negative outlier after correcting for age, so buy on condition and history rather than year.

What is the best Q5 year to buy used?

2012 and 2013 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the Q5 reliable overall?

Across 284,190 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 106.4 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 tests per page. “Inspect” years are below both the same-age baseline and the model’s median index by at least 2 points. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. DVSA anonymised data 2023–2025, OGL v3.0.