How Reliable are Audi is in 2022?

“German cars are the best!” you say, almost instinctively, without giving much thought as to why. It’s become a bit of a knee jerk response amongst motorists, many of whom look back fondly on decades of motorsport success for the German car manufacturers. Of course, achieving success on the Nürburgring isn’t quite the same as ploughing through the pot-hole ridden roads of Glasgow day in, day out. So, you might ask, is an Audi a reliable car? If you plan to drive your car for many years, confidence should play an important role in your decision making. New Audi rental cars come with a 3-year warranty, which is guaranteed for the duration of the lease. Yes, if your 93 GP does more parking than Alain Prost, the 3-year Audi warranty does not give you peace of mind.

How can you trust Audi as a manufacturer?
According to the manufacturers, Audi scored 34/40 on the reliability rating, indicating that Audi’s performance was well below average. Other major automakers in Germany, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, performed worse, ranking 30th and 31st respectively. For audi repairing you can visit Audi repair west los angeles

At the other end of the spectrum are Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota and Nissan, long known for their reliability, and Korean brands Hyundai and Kia. These companies offer longer protection that lasts 5 or 7 years. It’s proof that their car is a solid machine!

The following performance was measured by the manufacturer J.D. Power Sponsored 2019 UK Vehicle Faith Survey. They collected responses from 11,530 new car owners from November 2015 to January 2018 and counted issues that occurred 12 to 36 months after purchase. Audi ranked 22nd among 24 automakers with 167 100-car emissions, compared to an industry average of 119. Peugeot took first place with just 77 points.

Consumer Reports paints a better picture. Audi fell three spots to 7th in Consumer Reports 2019 manufacturer reliability ratings, with an average reliability rating of 60%. The most reliable model is the Audi Q5 and the least reliable is the Audi A3 Sedan. The study included 29 companies, some of which were American-made (e.g. variant of “German engineering”). However, it is still better than other studies.

From these conflicting images, it’s hard to say that Audi is one of those least reliable cars. It’s probably more useful to look at the common faults that Audi cars seem to develop, as well as the cost for repair.

Audi Problems
Audi produces a huge range of cars, from the compact Audi A1 Sportback to the commodious Audi Q7 SUV. They’ve not been afraid to dabble in hybrid and electric cars either, with the Audi E-Tron Sportback lauded as a formidable first foray into the world of environmentally friendly cars.

Those who are ‘in the know’ will be aware that Audi’s share much of their engineering and underpinnings with Volkswagen, though high tech features and cabin materials are all Audi’s own.

But does that mean that Audi cars are susceptible to the same issues as VW? You can see how both comparisons look in our Audi S3 vs Volkswagen Golf R comparison hub.

When it comes to Audi alone, can you see the same problem, from the top-selling Audi A4 Sedan to a sports car like the Audi R8 Coupe?

The images below, taken from reliability metrics, show the types of defects reported by Audi owners, their share of all Audi defects, and how Audi compares to other companies in each category.

Air conditioning – 16th, 2.43%
Axle and suspension – 5th, 14.10%
Braking system – 7th, 3.56%
Air conditioning system – 31st, 7.83%
Biography – 29th, 23.13%
Cavs – 39th, 30.21%
Fuel System – 28th, 7.10%
Exports – 23rd, 6.06%
Steering System – 7th, 2.85%
Baud rate – 20th, 2.74%
Most failures occur in the engine, air conditioning and heating systems, electrical components and fuel systems. While that might sound concerning (these are some of the most expensive to repair), it may explain why Audi gets lower scores on things like electronics.