Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Audi Q3 2018: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 85 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2018 Audi Q3 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (rear).

Summary

A 2018 Audi Q3 passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2017 and 2019 model years.

At a glance

How 12,057 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
85 in every 100
Did not pass first time
15 in every 1001,824 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
7 yearsabout 51,826 miles
First tests counted
12,057

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre tread depth (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Coil spring (front)11 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.

Note:

These are patterns across 2018 Audi Q3 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,824 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 123 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (front): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 143 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 207 first tests, 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 192 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 149 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 25 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
85in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
2in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
13in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 84.9% of 12,057 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 86.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 13 not fixed make the 15 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol9,10549,570 miles8685
Diesel2,95258,842 miles8284

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020152018Older carsNewer cars
4060801002018Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 87 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201170 in every 100455
201269 in every 1006,388
201370 in every 10011,105
201472 in every 10013,182
201575 in every 10013,560
201680 in every 10015,686
201784 in every 10015,429
2018 This car85 in every 10012,057
201991 in every 10013,435
202091 in every 10012,177
202192 in every 10010,759
202292 in every 10010,843

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2018 Audi Q3.

Of 2018 Audi Q3 vehicles with under 37,000 miles, 90 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 69,000 miles or more, 79 in every 100 did.

Under 37,0002,449 tests
90
37,000–47,0002,297 tests
87
47,000–57,000 Typical car2,563 tests
86
57,000–69,0002,394 tests
82
69,000 and over2,354 tests
79

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol49,570 miles8685
Diesel58,842 miles8284

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 58,842 against 49,570). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

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 37,00047,000–57,00069,000 and over
Tyre condition (rear)1.41.73.0
Tyre tread depth (front)0.81.23.5
Coil spring (front)0.91.52.3
Brake pads (front)0.21.71.6
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)0.41.51.8

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

53in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

19in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in every 100

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.

A 2018 Audi Q3 passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2017 and 2019 model years. In 2025, 84.9% of 12,057 first MOTs on the 2018 Audi Q3 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 86.6%. Among 1,824 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Petrol emissions (with catalyst) appears more often than on similar cars (6.7% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 4.4× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2018 Audi Q3 at the first attempt were Tyre condition (rear) (13.5%), Tyre tread depth (front) (11.3%) and Coil spring (front) (10.5%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (6.7% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 4.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Petrol emissions (with catalyst) shows up more often than on similar cars (6.7% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 4.4× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2018 Audi Q3 include Petrol emissions (with catalyst), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), Coil spring (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2018 Audi Q3 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

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.

2024 2025

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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