At a glance
How 7,442 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 78 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 22 in every 1001,647 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 13 yearsabout 129,974 miles
- First tests counted
- 7,442
What failed most often
- Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
- Tyre tread depth (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
- Coil spring (rear)9 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2012 Audi A6 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Tyres
One wear pattern: tyre pressure monitoring system, 6.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,646 of 1,647 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Tyre pressure monitoring system
What it means
A tyre pressure monitoring system that is obviously inoperative is graded Major, and so is one listed as malfunctioning or obviously inoperative. The Minor row uses the word malfunctioning too, but its detail is a warning lamp indicating a fault, and it also covers a tyre that is obviously under-inflated.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Suspension
Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front): 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)
What it means
Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.
Coil spring (rear)
What it means
A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Exhaust system
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 78in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 4in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 18in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 77.9% of 7,442 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 81.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 18 not fixed make the 22 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 63 in every 100 | 543 |
| 2004 | 62 in every 100 | 754 |
| 2005 | 63 in every 100 | 1,307 |
| 2006 | 64 in every 100 | 2,326 |
| 2007 | 65 in every 100 | 4,234 |
| 2008 | 65 in every 100 | 4,491 |
| 2009 | 69 in every 100 | 3,678 |
| 2010 | 69 in every 100 | 5,905 |
| 2011 | 73 in every 100 | 6,249 |
| 2012 This car | 78 in every 100 | 7,442 |
| 2013 | 79 in every 100 | 9,698 |
| 2014 | 79 in every 100 | 10,009 |
| 2015 | 82 in every 100 | 10,578 |
| 2016 | 83 in every 100 | 12,385 |
| 2017 | 85 in every 100 | 8,782 |
| 2018 | 86 in every 100 | 7,674 |
| 2019 | 88 in every 100 | 8,209 |
| 2020 | 90 in every 100 | 3,222 |
| 2021 | 91 in every 100 | 4,270 |
| 2022 | 91 in every 100 | 3,818 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage makes a modest difference on a 2012 Audi A6.
Of 2012 Audi A6 vehicles with under 99,000 miles, 81 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 163,000 miles or more, 75 in every 100 did.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 99,000 | 121,000–139,000 | 163,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| Tyre tread depth (front) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| Coil spring (rear) | 2.1 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Tyre condition (front) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Headlight aim | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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