What are the inspection figures for Audi A3 and BMW 3 Series, per age band?

Audi A3 vs BMW 3 Series: 3-5 years: 93 versus 102. 6-8 years: 73 versus 74. 9-11 years: 71 versus 74. 12-14 years: 88 versus 82. 15-19 years: 94 versus 77. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Where do these figures come from?

DVSA MOT-statistiek (data through 03/09/2026) Both models use the same source and the same reference date.

Audi A3 vs BMW 3 Series

Figures per shared age band: numerator, denominator and country index for both models, from the same source.

Age	Audi A3		BMW 3 Series		Difference (percentage points)
Age	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Difference (percentage points)
3-5 years	529 of 4468 (11.8%)	93	410 of 3160 (13%)	102	-1.13
6-8 years	11416 of 81115 (14.1%)	73	3331 of 23543 (14.1%)	74	-0.08
9-11 years	23536 of 118611 (19.8%)	71	17368 of 83646 (20.8%)	74	-0.92
12-14 years	22958 of 72182 (31.8%)	88	25879 of 86730 (29.8%)	82	+1.97
15-19 years	32035 of 80977 (39.6%)	94	32046 of 98846 (32.4%)	77	+7.14

100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Recalls and complaints

Audi A3

No recalls or complaints registered for this model.

BMW 3 Series

Official item from NHTSA: power train / automatic transmission / control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Campaign number: 23V821000.
NHTSA, data through 06/12/2023
Official item from EU Safety Gate
EU Safety Gate, data through 07/08/2026
Official item from NHTSA: engine
19 of the 52 of all NHTSA complaints for this model year.
NHTSA, data through 06/12/2023
Official item from NHTSA: electrical system
19 of the 52 of all NHTSA complaints for this model year.
NHTSA, data through 06/12/2023

What this does not show

The country index is an average across the entire fleet of this model in this country, not a failure probability for one specific vehicle.
A complaint share is a share of reported complaints, not a failure probability for all vehicles of this model.
The age correction is already built into each band; differences between generations or trims within the same model are not.
These figures apply to United Kingdom and are not directly comparable to a figure from another country.

Frequently asked questions

What are the inspection figures for Audi A3 and BMW 3 Series, per age band?
Audi A3 vs BMW 3 Series: 3-5 years: 93 versus 102. 6-8 years: 73 versus 74. 9-11 years: 71 versus 74. 12-14 years: 88 versus 82. 15-19 years: 94 versus 77. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.
Are any recalls known for Audi A3 or BMW 3 Series?
Audi A3: 0. BMW 3 Series: 2.
Where do these figures come from?
DVSA MOT-statistiek (data through 03/09/2026) Both models use the same source and the same reference date.

Methodology

Each row compares inspections from the same age band, in the same country.

The country index rescales the model's defect rate so that 100 equals the country average for that band.

Two models are only compared if they share at least two age bands.

What counts as a failed inspection differs per country; never compare a figure on this page with a figure from another country.

Citation

Audi A3 vs BMW 3 Series, United Kingdom, data through 3 September 2026. https://uk.plateop.com/modellen/vergelijk/audi-a3-vs-bmw-3-series

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