84.4%
Audi S4
Audi S4 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Audi S4 passed 84.4% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 12.1 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the S4 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 S4 runs 6 points ahead of the Audi average. It is 13th of the 24 Audi models in the data. The average S4 arrived at its test 10.9 years old with 76,055 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.
S4 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Audi S4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.3% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 78%, a drop of 12.3 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 1,038 | 90.3% | 18 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 157 | 87.3% | 15 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 1,249 | 78% | 5.7 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 S4 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Audi S4 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 43.1% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common S4 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Audi S4 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 40.5% of everything testers recorded against failed Audi S4 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a S4
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, condition has ply or cords exposed and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. 16.3% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn, coil spring fractured or broken and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 13.2% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim too low and headlamp aim too high. 6% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 2.5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific S4 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Audi S4 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Audi S4 MOT FAQs
What is the Audi S4 MOT pass rate?
84.4% of Audi S4 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,633 tests. That is 12.1 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 130th of 575 models.
What does an Audi S4 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Audi S4 cars failing their 2025 MOT was condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, on 6.1% of failure items. Next were condition has ply or cords exposed (6.1%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.8%).
Which area causes the most Audi S4 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 23.1%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 20%.
Do older Audi S4 cars fail their MOT more often?
Audi S4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.3% of MOT tests in 2025, against 78% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Audi S4 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Audi S4 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 S4'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.