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What to check: Audi Q4 e-tron

ABy miles

Ranked across all years of the Audi Q4 e-tron, from its own MOT record and from what owners report. Tick it off at the car.

From this model's MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsDrive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 2.3% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 2.4%

Warning lights on ignitionTurn the ignition on without starting the engine and watch the dash. Every warning light should appear, then go out once it is running. Be more suspicious of a light that never comes on at all than of one that stays on; warning bulbs have been known to vanish before a sale.Recorded on 0.5% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 0.1%

DampersLook for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 0.5% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 2.1%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller's upkeep rather than the model.

Tyres, all fourRuns high on this modelCheck the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 35.0% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 16.6%

Pads and discsLook through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 1.7% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 7.0%

Windscreen and wipersScan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 1.6% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 1.4%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the owner reports rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Check how long the car has been sitting before viewing, and try unlocking and starting it cold.Sluggish locking, dead key fob response, or dash error messages point to the 12V battery drain issue.

Start the infotainment screen, pair your phone and log into or create a driver profile.Freezing, a blank screen, or a 'key user not recognised' message is the known MMI glitch.

Run the registration through the free GOV.UK vehicle recall checker before you view the car.An outstanding ABS or ESC recall (R/2024/224, R/2025/098) means the brake electronics have not had their required check yet.

Check the build date and ask whether the heat pump is fitted, then run the heater on a cold start.No heat pump on a Feb 2023-early 2024 build means noticeably worse range in winter.

Buckle every seatbelt in turn and watch the dashboard for a few minutes.A seatbelt or airbag light that flickers or stays on with the belt clearly fastened suggests a wiring or sensor fault, not a worn belt.

Pull the full DVSA MOT history, not just the current pass.Repeated seatbelt or airbag advisories year after year show the underlying connector issue was never properly fixed.

If possible, plug into a public rapid charger during the test drive.Slow handshake or a failure to start charging can flag a charging port or software issue worth asking the seller about.

Full Audi Q4 e-tron reliability report