What are the inspection figures for Audi A4 and BMW 518 Automatic, per age band?

Audi A4 vs BMW 518 Automatic: 3-5 years: 100 versus 85. 6-8 years: 102 versus 72. 12-14 years: 80 versus 73. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Are any recalls known for Audi A4 or BMW 518 Automatic?

Audi A4: 0. BMW 518 Automatic: 1.

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 A4 vs BMW 518 Automatic

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

Age	Audi A4		BMW 518 Automatic		Difference (percentage points)
Age	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Difference (percentage points)
3-5 years	744 of 5824 (12.8%)	100	882 of 8109 (10.9%)	85	+1.89
6-8 years	9232 of 47237 (19.5%)	102	6398 of 46619 (13.7%)	72	+5.82
12-14 years	12132 of 41532 (29.2%)	80	3270 of 12316 (26.6%)	73	+2.66

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

Recalls and complaints

Audi A4

No recalls or complaints registered for this model.

BMW 518 Automatic

Official item from EU Safety Gate
EU Safety Gate, data through 07/08/2026

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 A4 and BMW 518 Automatic, per age band?
Audi A4 vs BMW 518 Automatic: 3-5 years: 100 versus 85. 6-8 years: 102 versus 72. 12-14 years: 80 versus 73. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.
Are any recalls known for Audi A4 or BMW 518 Automatic?
Audi A4: 0. BMW 518 Automatic: 1.
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 A4 vs BMW 518 Automatic, United Kingdom, data through 3 September 2026. https://uk.plateop.com/modellen/vergelijk/audi-a4-vs-bmw-5-series

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