Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Audi Q7 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 82 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Audi Q7 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (rear).

Summary

The 2013 Audi Q7 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,959 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
82 in every 100
Did not pass first time
18 in every 100545 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 106,571 miles
First tests counted
2,959

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (rear)18 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 2013 Audi Q7 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.

Steering

One fault: steering rack, 20 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 545 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.

Steering rack

Failed on 23 first tests20 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

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

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the electronic stability control: 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 20 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 25 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: rear fog light, 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Rear fog light

Failed on 21 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

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

Tyres

Two wear patterns. The strongest is the tyre condition (rear): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre condition (rear)

Failed on 99 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Exposed or damaged ply or cords are graded Dangerous. A cut in excess of the requirements and deep enough to reach the ply or cords is Major, and testers may open the cut with a blunt instrument to check its depth. A tyre contacting the vehicle through flexing or suspension movement is not a defect; fouling fails only at the time of test.

Tyre tread depth (rear)

Failed on 43 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Only primary grooves count when tread depth is assessed: those holding the wear indicators, or cut as deep as those when new. Shallower secondary grooves are ignored. Tread depth below the minimum for the vehicle is Dangerous, and so is a pattern not visible over the whole tread, but that second row applies only to vehicles that need the lower minimum.

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

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Engine oil leaks

Noted on 111 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, 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
82in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
3in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
15in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 81.6% of 2,959 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 85.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 15 not fixed make the 18 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201020132020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020132020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200673 in every 100905
200772 in every 1002,337
200872 in every 1001,745
200973 in every 1001,062
201077 in every 1001,280
201179 in every 1001,590
201280 in every 1002,111
2013 This car82 in every 1002,959
201481 in every 1002,993
201583 in every 1003,031
201681 in every 1004,542
201783 in every 1004,975
201885 in every 1004,520
201986 in every 1004,259
202090 in every 1003,428
202189 in every 1002,965
202289 in every 1003,033

If you are buying one

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

Mileage makes little difference on a 2013 Audi Q7.

Of 2013 Audi Q7 vehicles with under 85,000 miles, 83 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 132,000 miles or more, 82 in every 100 did.

Under 85,000587 tests
83
85,000–100,000615 tests
82
100,000–114,000 Typical car575 tests
81
114,000–132,000600 tests
81
132,000 and over582 tests
82

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 85,000100,000–114,000132,000 and over
Tyre condition (rear)2.43.53.1

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

When a car fails

47in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

30in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in 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.

The 2013 Audi Q7 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (rear), about 18 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 81.6% of 2,959 first MOTs on the 2013 Audi Q7 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 85.1%. Among 545 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Steering rack appears more often than on similar cars (4.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 20× 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 2013 Audi Q7 at the first attempt were Tyre condition (rear) (18.2%), 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: Steering rack (4.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 20× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Steering rack shows up more often than on similar cars (4.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 20× 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 2013 Audi Q7 include Steering rack, Electronic stability control, Anti-lock braking system (ABS). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2013 Audi Q7 (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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