85.2%
Audi S3
Audi S3 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Audi S3 passed 85.2% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 12.9 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the S3 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
78.5%
Audi average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The S3 runs 6.8 points ahead of the Audi average. It is 11th of the 24 Audi models in the data. The average S3 arrived at its test 8.8 years old with 60,949 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
S3 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Audi S3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.2% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 77.2%, a drop of 13.1 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 2,614 | 90.2% | 17.9 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 770 | 86.6% | 14.3 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 2,642 | 77.2% | 4.9 pts above |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where S3 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Audi S3 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 41.5% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common S3 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Audi S3 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 40.1% of everything testers recorded against failed Audi S3 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a S3
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 21% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken and linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 8.2% of failure items.
3
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction and catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits. 5.6% of failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 2.8% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific S3 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Audi S3 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Audi S3 MOT FAQs
What is the Audi S3 MOT pass rate?
85.2% of Audi S3 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 7,338 tests. That is 12.9 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 116th of 575 models.
What does an Audi S3 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Audi S3 cars failing their 2025 MOT was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, on 7% of failure items. Next were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (6.1%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (5.2%).
Which area causes the most Audi S3 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 25%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 16.5%.
Do older Audi S3 cars fail their MOT more often?
Audi S3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.2% of MOT tests in 2025, against 77.2% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Audi S3 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Audi S3 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Audi S3's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.