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Audi A4, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

236,494 Audi A4s are licensed in the UK, the 36th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 73% of initial MOT tests, 0.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific A4? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Audi A4 at the MOT

73% of 243,352 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the A4 292nd of 575 models. Audi A4s aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 66.5%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Audi A473%
  • All Audi modelsThe A4 is 5.5 pts behind78.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Audi A4 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years25,458 tests86.6%
  • 6 to 10 years85,934 tests77.6%
  • 11 years and over126,708 tests66.5%

Where A4s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Audi A4 tests in 2025.

  • Suspension24.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.8%
  • Tyres17.2%
  • Brakes11.8%
  • Body, chassis, structure8.6%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (7.8%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6.7%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.8%).

The MOT page lists every common A4 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Audi A4 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The A4's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.24.7% of A4 failure items

  2. 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.19.8% of A4 failure items

  3. 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.17.2% of A4 failure items

Audi A4s in the UK

236,494 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Audi. The number licensed has fallen 30% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−30%from 338,992 licensed
Typical year of first use
2014half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2014 or earlier
First registered in 2025
594against 27,238 in 2016
Declared off the road
45,30916% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Audi A4s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014338,992
End of 2015340,721
End of 2016347,147
End of 2017345,539
End of 2018334,355
End of 2019321,422
End of 2020308,495
End of 2021298,200
End of 2022287,482
End of 2023275,744
End of 2024263,251
End of 2025245,940
End of June 2026236,494

How old they are

Licensed Audi A4s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 9,455 were first used before 2005.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20247,5718,147
20237,5608,233
20226,2037,011
20216,7717,711
20208,2719,221
201912,68014,002
201811,52413,306
201719,32823,232
201622,29227,238
201516,36220,301
201416,740
201315,746
201213,077
201112,919
201011,366
200910,420
200811,357
20079,987
20068,097
20054,528

16,362 A4s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 81% of the 20,301 first registered that year.

A4 engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 75% of Audi A4 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.4 litre at 6.3%. Diesel accounts for 66% of licensed A4s and petrol for 34%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 243,317 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre74.5%
  • 1.4 litre6.3%
  • 3.0 litre6.2%
  • 1.8 litre5.6%
  • 1.9 litre3.5%

Fuel type, licensed A4s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol80,72434%
Diesel155,73766%
Hybrid electric13<0.1%
Gas20<0.1%

Audi A4 recalls

26 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Audi A4. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every A4 is affected.

  1. Aug 2025 R/2025/387

    Stop-drive TAKATA PSAN

    A4s built Mar 2005 to Sep 2008 · 258 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Urgent Safety Warning - Do Not Drive Your Vehicle Affected vehicles were originally allocated to or used for an extended period of time in a region with a climate zone considered to as HIGH RISK. Certain front airbags contain an ageing inflator propellant that may explode when deployed due to long-term exposure to heat and humidity. If the airbag inflator explodes metal fragments may be ejected causing life-threatening or fatal injuries to anyone in the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Affected airbags will be replaced. You can contact Audi's dedicated Takata Stop Drive helpline at 0113 526 9646 (MONDAY to FRIDAY 9:00AM to 5:00PM.

  2. Aug 2024 R/2024/312

    Replacing TAKATA driver airbag

    A4s built Feb 2006 to Jan 2009 · 207 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On imported Audi vehicles previously used in a warm climate zone and fitted with TAKATA driver airbag manufactured within a specific period it is possible that the gas generator housing may cause small metal parts to become dislodged from the housing and potentially injure the driver or a passenger.
    Remedy
    As a precautionary safety measure it is necessary to replace the gas generator in the airbag unit on the driver side of the vehicle.

  3. Apr 2024 R/2024/158

    Replacing Takata passenger airbag

    A4s built Oct 2004 to Apr 2008 · 165,172 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the passenger airbag may in extremely rare cases be overloaded and even burst when the passenger airbag is triggered. If this were to happen small metal parts could become dislodged from the housing and potentially cause life-threatening injury to a vehicle occupant.
    Remedy
    For safety reasons it is necessary to check the passenger airbag and if required to replace the airbag module.

  4. Feb 2023 R/2023/053

    If a front airbag is deployed it is possible that the gas generator housing in which the propellant is generated may burst on vehicles manufactured within a limited period

    A4s built Oct 2004 to Apr 2008 · 39 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    As a precautionary safety measure it is necessary to replace the airbag unit on the passenger side.

  5. Feb 2022 R/2022/036

    Following a previous campaign the toe and/or camber values on the rear axle may in certain circumstances incorrectly be changed without this being noticed

    A4s built Nov 2019 to Feb 2021 · 5,327 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    The wheel alignment must be checked and if necessary the suspension must be serviced on the affected vehicles.

  6. Sep 2021 R/2021/330

    Function of the driver airbag might be restricted due to its age

    A4s built Jan 2000 to Aug 2001 · 9,536 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On vehicles with 3-spoke steering wheel manufactured within a specific period the function of the driver airbag may be restricted due to its age.
    Remedy
    The gas generator in the driver airbag must be replaced on the affected vehicles.

  7. Sep 2021 R/2021/234

    The deployment of the Takata airbag may be delayed or insufficiently powerful due to a potential reduction in the performance of the gas generator

    A4s built Apr 1997 to Dec 1999 · 57,169 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On vehicles with TAKATA driver airbag and NADI gas generator manufactured within a specific period it is possible that the function of the driver airbag may be restricted due to its age.
    Remedy
    The driver airbag unit must be checked on the vehicles affected and the gas generator must be replaced if necessary

  8. Jun 2021 R/2021/236

    Rear axle suspension links nuts do not meet specifications

    A4s built Nov 2019 to Feb 2021 · 10,089 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    One or more nuts which do not meet the specifications may have been fitted on the rear axle suspension links.
    Remedy
    The affected nuts on the rear axle will be replaced on affected vehicles.
How to check a specific A4 for recalls

A4 vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Audi models

The most-tested Audi models in 2025, against the A4's 73% MOT pass rate.

All 24 Audi models

Audi A4 FAQs

How many Audi A4s are there in the UK?

236,494 Audi A4s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 45,309 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Audi A4 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 73% first-time pass rate for the Audi A4 across 243,352 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Audi A4 had any recalls?

26 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Audi A4. The most recent was published in August 2025. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Audi A4?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and tyres. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check an Audi A4'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.

Already found an A4?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Audi history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Audi VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.