HowreliableUsed car reliability from every MOT
CarsAudi Q3
MOT results · tests in 2025 · Great Britain

Audi Q3 reliability: what the MOT shows

140,553 Q3s had an MOT in 2025. 82.4% passed first time, against 77.1% for other cars of the same age and mileage. That is 5.3 points better than comparable cars.

82.4%passed first time
+5.3points against cars of the same age and mileage
140,553MOTs in 2025
Report card

Audi Q3 MOT results by registration year

Each dot compares how often Q3s of that year failed on one area of the test with cars of the same age and mileage.

Much betterBetterAbout the sameWorseMuch worse
YearPassed first timeAgainst same age and mileageMOTsSuspensionSteeringBrakesTyresLights & electricsVisibilityBody & structureEmissions & leaks
201269.5%+7.86,596
201370.6%+6.511,491
201472.6%+5.313,667
201575.3%+4.214,073
201679.7%+5.416,288
201783.8%+5.716,010
201884.8%+3.812,605
201990.8%+7.113,927
202091.1%+4.912,593
202191.8%+4.211,292
202292.6%+3.611,538

Much worse: failed on that area at least 1.5 times as often. Worse: 1.15 to 1.5 times. Better: up to 0.87 times. Much better: two-thirds as often or less. Gaps under half a percentage point count as about the same. Registration year is the year the car was first used.

Audi Q3 years to avoid, going by the MOT

Ahead2012 to 2022+3.6 to +7.8 ptsMost common failures: coil spring (fractured or broken) in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) in 2019; condition (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 140,080 MOTs.

Well behind: 5 or more points below cars of the same age and mileage. Behind: 1.5 to 5 points below. Level: within 1.5 points. Ahead: 1.5 or more points above.

What fails

Audi Q3 common faults at the MOT

7.1% of Q3 MOTs failed on suspension, against 6.2% for cars of the same age and mileage, and 5.5% on tyres, against 6.2%.

Most common failures

Coil spring: fractured or broken4.3%Cars of the same age and mileage: 2.0%
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2.2%Cars of the same age and mileage: 2.1%
Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1.5%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.5%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1.4%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.8%
Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1.3%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.9%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively1.1%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.7%
Condition: has ply or cords exposed1.0%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.2%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid0.7%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.1%
Q3Same age and mileage

Fails more often than other cars

Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened15.3×0.61% of Q3 MOTs (854) against 0.04% for cars of the same age and mileage
Coil spring: fractured or broken2.2×4.27% of Q3 MOTs (6,002) against 1.97% for cars of the same age and mileage
Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1.5×1.33% of Q3 MOTs (1,869) against 0.91% for cars of the same age and mileage
Electronic stability control: warning lamp indicates a fault1.4×0.24% of Q3 MOTs (343) against 0.17% for cars of the same age and mileage
Mileage

Ahead at every mileage

Q3s pass more often than cars of the same age and mileage at every mileage, by 3.3 to 6.4 points. The gap is widest at 60–90k miles.

First-time MOT pass rate by mileage: Audi Q3 against cars of the same age and mileage0%25%50%75%100%9390UNDER 30K+3.3 pts878230–60K+5.5 pts797260–90K+6.4 pts716690–120K+5.6 pts6663120K++3.5 pts
Q3, first-time pass rateCars of the same age and mileage

Petrol, diesel or hybrid Q3

Diesels passed 76.7% first time, 4.9 points above comparable cars; petrols passed 87.6%, 5.7 points above comparable cars. Diesels had a median of 78,533 miles at the test, against 42,971 for petrols. Hybrids are mostly newer cars (median 30,440 miles), so compare them with care.

FuelMOTsPassed first timeSame age and mileageGap (pts)Median miles
Petrol70,70787.6%82.0%+5.742,971
Diesel68,04876.7%71.8%+4.978,533
Hybrid1,79791.0%87.3%+3.730,440
Against rivals

Q3 against other premium SUVs

Cars registered 2014 to 2021, each against cars of the same age and mileage. The Q3 ranks 9 of 18.

ModelMOTsPassed first timeSame age and mileageGap (pts)
1. Range Rover39,88085.2%76.5%+8.7
2. Audi Q585,22785.7%77.9%+7.8
3. Range Rover Sport75,07784.2%77.2%+7.0
4. Land Rover Discovery67,57282.7%76.4%+6.3
5. Jaguar I-Pace17,78091.1%85.4%+5.8
6. BMW X182,17584.9%79.3%+5.7
7. Range Rover Evoque148,57383.4%78.1%+5.2
8. BMW X372,12584.4%79.2%+5.2
9. Audi Q3110,45583.4%78.2%+5.1
10. Volvo XC6090,52681.8%76.8%+5.0
11. Volvo XC9040,59183.5%78.5%+5.0
12. Volvo XC4071,16889.6%85.4%+4.1
13. Jaguar F-Pace53,34584.6%80.5%+4.1
14. Land Rover Defender26,70784.0%80.4%+3.6
15. Jaguar E-Pace31,25287.1%83.6%+3.5
16. Land Rover Discovery Sport109,16181.0%77.7%+3.2
17. Mercedes GLA86,40382.8%80.2%+2.6
18. Range Rover Velar32,71684.3%82.2%+2.1

Check these before you buy a used Q3

What testers most often noted as advisories on Q3s in 2025: wear that passed but was close to failing. Figures in brackets are for cars of the same age and mileage.

Questions about Q3 reliability

Is the Audi Q3 reliable?

At the MOT, 82.4% of 140,553 Q3 MOTs in 2025 passed first time, against 77.1% for cars of the same age and mileage. 2012 to 2022: ahead (+3.6 to +7.8 points).

Which Audi Q3 years should I avoid?

None stand out: every registration year is within 1.5 points of cars of the same age and mileage, or ahead of them.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Q3?

Coil spring: fractured or broken: 4.3% of Q3 MOTs, against 2.0% for cars of the same age and mileage.

Is a diesel or petrol Q3 more reliable?

Petrol Q3s passed 87.6% first time and diesels 76.7%. Against cars of the same age and mileage, petrols were 5.7 points above and diesels 4.9 points above.

Is the Q3 more reliable than the Range Rover Evoque?

For cars registered 2014 to 2021, the Range Rover Evoque passed 83.4% first time, +5.2 points against comparable cars. The Q3 passed 83.4%, +5.1 points.

How we measure

Data. Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2025 (31,475,521 first tests on cars first used 2005 to 2022), from DVSA's anonymised MOT test data. Retests are left out.

Passed first time. A car passed if its first test that year ended in a pass. Cars that failed and were fixed within the hour count as fails, as DVSA counts them.

Same age and mileage. We group every car by the year it was first used and its mileage (under 30k, 30–60k, 60–90k, 90–120k, over 120k). The comparison figure is what those groups scored, weighted to match the Q3's mix of ages and mileages.

Model. Every car DVSA records as a Audi Q3: 67 recorded model names, from "Q3" to trims such as "Q3 S LINE 35 TFSI MHEV S-A".

The full method, including how each report-card dot and year group is decided.