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Audi Q3, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

177,833 Audi Q3s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 82.4% of initial MOT tests, 10.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Q3? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Audi Q3 at the MOT

82.4% of 141,023 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Q3 165th of 575 models. Audi Q3s aged 3 to 5 years passed 91.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 70.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Audi Q382.4%
  • All Audi modelsThe Q3 is 3.9 pts ahead78.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Audi Q3 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years36,200 tests91.4%
  • 6 to 10 years70,484 tests80.7%
  • 11 years and over24,983 tests70.4%

Where Q3s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Audi Q3 tests in 2025.

  • Suspension31%
  • Tyres24.1%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12.4%
  • Brakes11.5%
  • Visibility9.3%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (14.7%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (9.8%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (6.5%).

The MOT page lists every common Q3 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Audi Q3 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Q3'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.31% of Q3 failure items

  2. 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.24.1% of Q3 failure items

  3. 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.12.4% of Q3 failure items

Audi Q3s in the UK

177,833 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 266% since the end of 2015.

Change since 2015
+266%from 48,643 licensed
Typical year of first use
2018half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2018 or earlier
First registered in 2025
10,313against 17,843 in 2016
Declared off the road
1,4900.8% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Audi Q3s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201434,254
End of 201548,643
End of 201665,774
End of 201782,096
End of 201894,359
End of 2019107,187
End of 2020118,922
End of 2021130,167
End of 2022141,869
End of 2023152,592
End of 2024164,486
End of 2025173,673
End of June 2026177,833

How old they are

Licensed Audi Q3s by year of first use.

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

A further 449 were first used before 2012.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20259,14410,313
202412,89213,292
202311,40211,762
202210,78111,431
202111,01911,555
202012,53813,059
201913,68614,467
201812,42613,034
201716,18217,145
201616,69417,843
201514,01415,079
201413,480
201311,493
20126,439

14,014 Q3s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 93% of the 15,079 first registered that year.

Q3 engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 61% of Audi Q3 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.5 litre at 21%. Petrol accounts for 56% of licensed Q3s and diesel for 41%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 141,018 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre61.5%
  • 1.5 litre21%
  • 1.4 litre16.9%

Fuel type, licensed Q3s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol99,57256%
Diesel72,88941%
Plug-in hybrid5,3663%
Hybrid electric5<0.1%
Gas1<0.1%

Audi Q3 recalls

8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Audi Q3. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Q3 is affected.

  1. Nov 2023 R/2023/331

    A weld seam on the outer backrest frame of the front seats may not have been made correctly

    Q3s built Jun 2023 · 13 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the front seats and if required to replace the affected backrest.

  2. Nov 2022 R/2022/354

    Certain vehicles may have been fitted with a rear window which does not conform to the manufacturer s quality requirements

    Q3s built May 2022 · 100 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Certain vehicles may have been fitted with a rear window which does not conform to the manufacturer's quality requirements.
    Remedy
    Check the manufacturing date of the vehicle's rear window and if it is affected replace the window.

  3. Mar 2022 R/2022/073

    The design trim on the power unit can become detached from its retainers

    Q3s built Nov 2020 to Mar 2022 · 1,762 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    The design trim on the power unit must be removed on the affected vehicles.

  4. Sep 2021 R/2021/323

    The bolted connection on the input rod between the electromechanical brake servo and brake pedal can be come loose

    Q3s built Aug 2020 to May 2021 · 11 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The bolted connection of the pull rod between the electromechanical brake servo and brake pedal may come loose resulting in a loss of all service braking ability.
    Remedy
    Vehicles are not to be driven and the bolted connection of the input rod between the electromechanical brake servo and brake pedal must be checked and if necessary retightened.

  5. Oct 2020 R/2020/302

    Seat frame may not be bolted correctly to the rail on the driver and passenger sides

    Q3s built Jul 2020 · 8 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The seat frame may not have been bolted correctly to the seat rail on the driver and/or front passenger side
    Remedy
    Check the affected seat frame connection and replace the frame if required.

  6. Aug 2019 R/2019/260

    Failure of the front LED turn signal

    Q3s built Dec 2014 to Jul 2018 · 45,677 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A failure of the front LED turn signal may not always be detected in certain circumstances
    Remedy
    A software update of the on-board supply control unit

  7. Feb 2018 R/2018/044

    Passenger airbag may not deploy as intended

    Q3s built Sep 2016 to Nov 2016 · 58 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A connection between the detonator and generator in the front passenger airbag module may not be correctly welded. Therefore the airbag may not be triggered in the event of a collision.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the front passenger airbag module.

  8. Jul 2017 R/2017/218

    Brake lights may fail when the electronic parking brake is operated

    Q3s built Oct 2014 to Sep 2016 · 17,074 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to a software error the brake lights may not function during an emergency operation of the electronic parking brake. The normal foundation brake lights will still function as intended.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles update software to correct this.
How to check a specific Q3 for recalls

Q3 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 Q3's 82.4% MOT pass rate.

All 24 Audi models

Audi Q3 FAQs

How many Audi Q3s are there in the UK?

177,833 Audi Q3s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,490 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Audi Q3 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 an 82.4% first-time pass rate for the Audi Q3 across 141,023 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Audi Q3 had any recalls?

8 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Audi Q3. The most recent was published in November 2023. 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 Q3?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, tyres and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. 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 Q3'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 a Q3?

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.