Used comparison · 2025 DVSA data
Audi Q5 vs BMW X3
Mid-size premium SUVs with large outstanding balances when they first hit the used market.
Across 224,155 initial MOT tests in 2025, the Audi Q5 passed 86.09% against 84.47% for the BMW X3. That is close enough that the specific car matters far more than the badge.
Already found one of them?
Enter its registration to see finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history before you decide.
Head to head on the MOT record
| Measure | Audi Q5 | BMW X3 |
|---|---|---|
| First-time MOT pass rate | 86.09% | 84.47% |
| Tests in 2025 | 116,282 | 107,873 |
| Average mileage at test | 73,989 | 74,562 |
| Average age at test | 8.3 years | 8.9 years |
| Most common fuel | Diesel | Diesel |
| Diesel share of tests | 73.51% | 71.22% |
The UK average across all cars in this data is 77.3%. The Audi Q5 sits above it by 8.8 points, and the BMW X3 sits above it by 7.2 points.
Which one holds up better as it ages
This is the part that matters when you are buying used. A headline pass rate mixes three-year-old cars in with fifteen-year-old ones. Split by age, you can see what each model actually does over time.
| Age at test | Audi Q5 | BMW X3 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 92.61% | 90.76% |
| 6 to 10 years | 87% | 86.93% |
| 11 years and over | 78.49% | 76.42% |
Both models age at much the same rate, losing around 14.2 percentage points between the youngest and oldest brackets. Neither has an advantage worth paying for on this measure.
What each one fails on
These are the areas testers recorded most often across every failed 2025 test for each model. Read them as a viewing checklist for that model, not as a fault list for any particular car.
Audi Q5
- Suspension 25.83%
- Tyres 19.36%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 14.29%
- Body, chassis, structure 13.72%
- Brakes 10.43%
Share of all recorded failure items.
Full Audi Q5 failure detailBMW X3
- Tyres 22.58%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 21.21%
- Suspension 20.85%
- Brakes 13.22%
- Visibility 8.81%
Share of all recorded failure items.
Full BMW X3 failure detailThe Audi Q5 fails most often on suspension, the BMW X3 on tyres. Two different things to check on a viewing, and two different conversations to have with the seller.
The specific items testers wrote down
One level deeper than the category. These are the individual defects recorded most often on each model.
Audi Q5
- Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn
- Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
- Tread depth tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm
BMW X3
- Coil spring fractured or broken
- Tread depth tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm
- Condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords
What this comparison cannot tell you
Everything above describes two models across the whole UK fleet. It says nothing about the one car in the advert you are looking at. Two Q5s of the same year and mileage can be worth thousands apart because of things that never appear in MOT data:
- Outstanding finance. If a lender still has an agreement recorded against the car, that claim does not disappear because you paid the seller.
- Insurance write-off history. A Cat S or Cat N marker is permanent, changes what the car is worth, and does not appear on the V5C.
- Stolen markers. A car recorded as stolen can be seized even from a buyer who bought it honestly.
- Mileage history. The readings taken at every MOT are the clearest way to spot a clocked odometer.
- Previous keepers. An unusual number of keepers for the age of the car is worth asking about.
A Carpeep car history check reports all of those against the registration, plus tax status, import and export markers, scrapped status and the recorded vehicle identity, in one £15 report.
Check the car you are about to buy
One registration, one report. Finance, write-off, stolen, mileage, keepers, MOT and tax.
Read more on each car
- Buying a used Audi Q5 Buying guide, MOT record and what to check
- Buying a used BMW X3 Buying guide, MOT record and what to check
Audi Q5 vs BMW X3 FAQs
Is the Audi Q5 or the BMW X3 more likely to pass its MOT?
The Audi Q5 passed 86.09% of its initial MOT tests in the DVSA 2025 data against 84.47% for the BMW X3, a gap of 1.6 percentage points. That is a fleet-wide average, not a prediction about the specific car you are looking at.
Does a higher MOT pass rate mean a more reliable car?
No. An MOT records whether a vehicle met the roadworthiness standard on the day it was tested. It does not test the engine, clutch or gearbox, and it does not measure how often a car breaks down. Pass rates are useful for comparing how two models are holding up across the whole UK fleet, and nothing more than that.
Which is cheaper to keep on the road, the Audi Q5 or the BMW X3?
This data does not price servicing or repairs, so it cannot answer that directly. What it does show is what each model most often fails on, which is a fair guide to where the money goes. The Audi Q5 fails most often on suspension. The BMW X3 fails most often on tyres.
How do I check the actual Audi Q5 I have found?
Enter its registration. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, insurance write-off markers, stolen markers, the mileage recorded at every MOT, previous keepers, tax and MOT status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report. None of that appears in model-level MOT statistics.
MOT figures aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.