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Audi Q8, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

15,907 Audi Q8s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 90.1% of initial MOT tests, 17.8 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Q8? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Audi Q8 at the MOT

90.1% of 5,312 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Q8 36th of 575 models. Audi Q8s aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 89.6%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Audi Q890.1%
  • All Audi modelsThe Q8 is 11.6 pts ahead78.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Audi Q8 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years3,095 tests90.1%
  • 6 to 10 years1,393 tests89.6%

Where Q8s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Audi Q8 tests in 2025.

  • Tyres45%
  • Visibility10.6%
  • Brakes10.4%
  • Identification of the vehicle9.3%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.4%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (19.7%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (14.8%) and registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements (8.5%).

The MOT page lists every common Q8 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Audi Q8 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Q8's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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.45% of Q8 failure items

  2. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.10.6% of Q8 failure items

  3. 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.10.4% of Q8 failure items

Audi Q8s in the UK

15,907 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 371% since the end of 2020.

Change since 2020
+371%from 3,380 licensed
Typical year of first use
2023half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2023 or earlier
First registered in 2025
1,294against 6,055 in 2023
Declared off the road
2801.7% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Audi Q8s since 2018

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2018711
End of 20192,517
End of 20203,380
End of 20214,378
End of 20225,303
End of 202311,209
End of 202414,972
End of 202516,001
End of June 202615,907

How old they are

Licensed Audi Q8s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20251,2721,294
20243,8323,944
20235,8296,055
20221,0071,124
20219841,146
2020837980
20191,6491,976
2018583740

Q8 engines and fuel

3.0 litre engines made up 99% of Audi Q8 MOT tests in 2025. Battery electric accounts for 49% of licensed Q8s and diesel for 34%.

Fuel type, licensed Q8s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol2,17414%
Diesel5,48334%
Battery electric7,85849%
Plug-in hybrid3902%
Hybrid electric2<0.1%

Audi Q8 recalls

11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Audi Q8. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Q8 is affected.

  1. Apr 2026 R/2026/168

    Checking brake servo

    Q8s built May 2019 to May 2024 · 11,327 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the bolted connection for the push rod between the brake pedal and brake servo may come loose with the risk that it will no longer be possible to stop by using the brake pedal.
    Remedy
    Check the bolted connection for the push rod between the brake pedal and brake servo and tighten if necessary.

  2. Nov 2025 R/2025/508

    Belt buckle rivet missing

    Q8s built Mar 2025 · 5 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles an important connection in the seat belt buckle may not have been produced correctly during the assembly process.
    Remedy
    The belt buckles on both front seats (left and right) must be replaced.

  3. Oct 2025 R/2025/441

    Software update for battery control unit

    Q8s built Jan 2021 to Dec 2023 · 1,003 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles there may be defective battery modules which may result in a fire hazard when charging the high-voltage battery.
    Remedy
    Update the software of the high-voltage battery to improve the self-diagnosis capabilities. Vehicle owners are advised to not charge the high-voltage battery using external charging sources and also not use the e-tron modes "Battery charge" and "Battery hold" until the update is applied.

  4. Jun 2024 R/2024/259

    Checking brake lines

    Q8s built May 2023 to Mar 2024 · 37 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the bolts for the brake pressure lines may have been tightened too far. In such cases the bolted connection may fail resulting in brake fluid escaping.
    Remedy
    Check the bolted connection and replace the brake pressure lines if required.

  5. Jan 2024 R/2024/018

    The function of the side airbag may be restricted due to the airbag not being sufficiently secured to the front left seat frame

    Q8s built Aug 2023 to Oct 2023 · 187 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Conduct a check of the airbag to ensure it is secured correctly; if necessary the side airbag is to be correctly hooked in position and resecured.

  6. Nov 2023 R/2023/331

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

    Q8s 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.

  7. 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

    Q8s 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.

  8. Jun 2021 R/2021/236

    Rear axle suspension links nuts do not meet specifications

    Q8s 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 Q8 for recalls

Other Audi models

The most-tested Audi models in 2025, against the Q8's 90.1% MOT pass rate.

All 24 Audi models

Audi Q8 FAQs

How many Audi Q8s are there in the UK?

15,907 Audi Q8s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 280 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Audi Q8 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 90.1% first-time pass rate for the Audi Q8 across 5,312 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Audi Q8 had any recalls?

11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Audi Q8. The most recent was published in April 2026. 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 Q8?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, visibility and brakes. 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 Q8'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 Q8?

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

Across the 1,548 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 October 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.