56.4%
Audi A2 pass rate
Used Audi A2 buying guide
In 2025, Audi A2 cars passed 56.4% of 5,762 initial MOT tests, 15.9 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific A2? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Audi A2 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−15.9
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the A2 sits 522nd of 575 models in the data. Audi as a brand averaged 78.5%, so this model runs 22.1 points behind its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Audi A2 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the A2 compares with similar cars.
A2 fuel types
Diesel made up 59.7% of Audi A2 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. The rest ran on other fuels, so tested examples were a genuine mix.
Where the A2 fails its MOT
Where Audi A2 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (5%), coil spring fractured or broken (4.8%) and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.4%). See every common A2 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Audi A2 that failed, not a claim that every A2 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used A2?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 23% of A2 failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 22% of A2 failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 21.2% of A2 failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks. 8.8% of A2 failure items.
5
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 7.1% of A2 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Audi A2 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact A2 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Audi history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Audi models
The most-tested Audi models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the A2.
Used Audi A2 FAQs
Is the Audi A2 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 56.4% first-time pass rate for the Audi A2 across 5,762 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used Audi A2?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check an Audi A2's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.