2002 Audi A8 — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2002 Audi A8 passed 79.5% of its 678 recorded MOT tests. Against executive cars of a similar age (24.3% fail rate), the 2002 A8 comes out 3.8pp better. Failures cluster in suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — suspension (8.8%) and lighting & signalling (8.6%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are pins and bushes, washers and catalyst emissions — pins and bushes alone was recorded 43 times.
Mileage matters less than usual here: the 2002 A8 fails 19.6% of the time in the 60-90k band and 19.8% at 150k+, a spread of only 0.2 points.
Suspension is the most common advisory, noted on 29.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 24.7% in 2021 to 20.4% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 8.8% | 60 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.6% | 58 |
| 3 | Brakes | 8.6% | 58 |
| 4 | Visibility | 7.5% | 51 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 6.6% | 45 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.3% | 29 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pins and bushes | 43 |
| 2 | Washers | 36 |
| 3 | Catalyst emissions | 27 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 25 |
| 5 | Service brake performance | 24 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 23 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 29.3% | 199 |
| 2 | Emissions & environmental | 24.5% | 166 |
| 3 | Tyres | 17.7% | 120 |
| 4 | Brakes | 16.4% | 111 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 12.1% | 82 |
| 6 | Other defects | 7.4% | 50 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 60-90k | 56 | 19.6% |
| 90-120k | 163 | 20.9% |
| 120-150k | 218 | 22.0% |
| 150k+ | 227 | 19.8% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 186 | 24.7% |
| 2022 | 159 | 21.4% |
| 2023 | 135 | 17.0% |
| 2024 | 100 | 16.0% |
| 2025 | 98 | 20.4% |
What to check before buying a 2002 A8
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: suspension accounted for 8.8% of tests. Start there.
- Suspension (8.8% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Lighting & signalling (8.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (8.6% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2002 Audi A8s pass their MOT?
79.5% of the 678 2002 Audi A8 MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 20.5% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2002 Audi A8?
Suspension, recorded in 8.8% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (8.6%).
Does the 2002 A8 get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 19.6% in the 60-90k band to 19.8% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 678 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.