All generations and engines together · 116,132 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 67k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 42,496 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
Early 2.0 TFSI petrol A5s, mainly 2008-2012 cars, have a recognised habit of burning oil far faster than normal, owners quoting as little as 600-800 miles per litre in the worst cases. Worn piston rings or carbon build-up on the valves are the usual causes, and the fix ranges from a ring-and-liner job to a full engine rebuild or replacement, £1,200 to £5,000-plus. It's been treated by Audi as a design fault needing a fix rather than a formal recall.
Owners describe knocks and extra road noise coming through the aluminium multilink rear suspension, worse on cars with 19-inch wheels and low-profile tyres. Audi revised the rear suspension bearings at the 2011 facelift after handling complaints, which reads like a quiet admission the earlier bearings weren't right. The measured MOT data for this shape backs the general idea that suspension is the weak point here, though it doesn't say which part, bearing, bush or link, is actually failing, so treat noise on test drive as the real tell rather than any one named component.
On S-tronic automatic cars, the 7-speed DL501 fitted behind the six-cylinder engines, owners report jerky, jolting take-up in traffic and lurching as the car comes to a stop, plus oil leaks turning up soon after a routine fluid change. The underlying cause is usually pinned on the mechatronic unit, and a full replacement runs well into four figures. Manual and four-cylinder A5s aren't affected.
Manual S5s have a history of chewing through clutches, one owner reporting four replacements inside 100,000 miles. An unconfirmed owner theory blames an undersized release pin on pre-February 2008 cars causing premature burnout, Audi hasn't confirmed this. A clutch, dual-mass flywheel and release bearing job has been quoted around £2,200. Doesn't apply to the regular four-cylinder A5 range.
A recurring, intermittent electric parking brake fault turns up repeatedly in reader reports, a warning light or a brake that won't release or reapply properly, and it's proven resistant to more than one dealer repair attempt on the same car. It isn't tied to one engine or gearbox. No recall or TSB was found for it, so budget for the possibility of repeat visits rather than a single fix.
The MMI system is reported to freeze occasionally, stuck media playback being one symptom, and older navigation software has sent drivers on routes 30 minutes or more longer than necessary despite fastest-route being selected. Bluetooth pairing and voice-dial niggles get mentioned repeatedly too. Annoying rather than dangerous, and usually cleared by a software update or module reset.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Coupés, convertibles & GT), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.