Used car guide · 2018–2026

Audi Q8 common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Audi Q8, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 12,501 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

12,501MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
16,519on the UK register
2018best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

202620252024202320222021202020192018

What usually goes wrong with an Audi Q8?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Audi Q8 in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common Audi Q8 MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Suspension arm bushes and joints

    up to 3.1× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2018 and 2019.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

Audi Q8 MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2018 Audi Q8 did best (91% passed first time, 8 points above all 2018 cars) and the 2022 did worst (90%, 1 point above all 2022 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
202290%89% +11,075
202191%87% +41,975
202091%87% +42,543
201990%85% +55,090
201891%83% +81,818

Questions to ask the seller before buying an Audi Q8

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the suspension arm bushes and joints? (Flagged at MOT 3.1× as often on the Audi Q8 as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at an Audi Q8?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score