All generations and engines together · 101,905 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 80k
Better than most saloons and estates, by age and by mileage. Watch suspension and corrosion. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
Cars fitted with the optional adaptive air suspension (common on Allroad and quattro models) can throw a suspension fault message, with one corner sagging overnight or the ride turning go-kart-stiff after 30-60 minutes of driving. It is usually a leaking air spring or a tired compressor, and it tends to surface from around 70-90k miles or once the car is 8-10 years old. The measured MOT data for this segment flags suspension as the standout fault category too, though the failure it captures (bushes, springs, dampers on the general test) is not exactly the same air-strut problem forums complain about. A leaking air spring alone runs to roughly £250-£450 a corner; a failed compressor is more like £500-£900.
The 3.0 TDI and 3.0 TFSI V6 in C7-era A6s (2011-2018) can develop a rattly, worn timing chain tensioner, most often flagged by a rattle on cold start-up that fades once oil pressure builds. Owners on Audi's own forums note the worst of it seems concentrated on pre-2015 build cars, and left unaddressed it can lead to a snapped or jumped chain and serious engine damage. A tensioner-only fix runs into four figures; a full chain kit with the engine apart is more like £2,000-£4,000, so any cold rattle is worth walking away from or getting inspected before buying.
Several 2.0 and 3.0 TDI C7 owners report that after having Audi's diesel emissions software update applied, the engine revs a little higher on light throttle and the EGR valve clogs with soot faster than before, occasionally tripping limp-home mode. It is not universal and Audi has not put out a public fix for the side effect itself, only for the original emissions issue, so treat it as something to budget for rather than a certainty. A new EGR valve and clean typically runs a few hundred pounds.
On the pre-2008 C6 with the pump-injection (PD) 2.0 TDI and a manual gearbox, the dual-mass flywheel is a known weak point, with failures reported by around 45,000 miles and a bill near £1,200 to replace. A rarer but much nastier fault is the oil pump drive shaft rounding off, which can starve the engine of oil and write it off entirely, a repair Honest John puts at up to roughly £9,000 in the worst cases. Common-rail diesels from the 2008 facelift onward are not affected by either issue.
On C7 cars fitted with the S tronic dual-clutch automatic, owners report a shudder or judder when setting off from a standstill or engaging reverse, most noticeable once the gearbox is warm. It points to wear in the clutch packs or the mechatronic unit rather than anything that shows on a dipstick check. A full mechatronic replacement is an expensive job, commonly quoted in the £1,000-£2,000 region depending on parts and labour; manual and Multitronic CVT cars are not affected.
The C8 (2018 onwards) runs a 48V mild-hybrid belt-driven starter-generator on most petrol and diesel engines, and owners on Audi's own forums and Reddit describe it failing outright and taking down the wider electrical system with it, sometimes with warning lights for steering or brake assistance appearing first. It is a young enough fault that mileage and cost data are thin, and Audi has not issued a public acknowledgement, so treat any 48V or hybrid-system warning light on a test drive as a reason to get the car properly diagnosed before buying rather than a glitch to ignore.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
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. 39,653 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.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.