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Audi A3 vs Mercedes A-Class

Both are family hatchbacks. First-time MOT failure at age 7, and what each one is known to fail on.

The Audi A3 is the more reliable of the two. It fails its first MOT at age 7 13.9% of the time, against 20.1% for the Mercedes A-Class.

Audi A3

13.9%

fail at age 7

Rank 31 of 239 · 62k miles at 7 · 345,773 tests

Mercedes A-Class

20.1%

fail at age 7

Rank 149 of 239 · 61k miles at 7 · 326,126 tests

What each one fails on

Measured

The faults each records most at ages 6 to 9. Same figures as each full report.

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakageAdvisory5.5%

A suspension component excessively damaged or corrodedAdvisory2.3%

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornAdvisory2.0%

Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road usersAdvisory1.6%

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakenedFail1.2%

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakageFail1.2%

A suspension joint dust cover severely deterioratedMinor3.1%

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakenedFail3.0%

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornAdvisory1.9%

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etcFail1.7%

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corrodedAdvisory1.4%

An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunctionFail1.4%