Audi R8
Registered from 2007 to 2020.
About this model
The Audi R8 is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car, which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG in 2006. Production ended in the first quarter of 2024.
From the Wikipedia article Audi R8, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2008 4.2 petrol. 61 of 569 tests failed, 11%.
Better than 96% of 2008 cars. The typical one fails 26%, across 922 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 34% | 21 |
| Brakes | 31% | 19 |
| Suspension | 23% | 14 |
| Tyres and wheels | 15% | 9 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 13% | 8 |
| Plates and identity | 13% | 8 |
The defects inspectors cite
- An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
- Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Where it stands out against its peers
- Plates and identity: failed more often than 99% of 2008 cars — 13% of its 61 failed tests, where an ordinary 2008 car has 0%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 31% of its failures
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- Suspension — 23% of its failures
- A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
- Tyres and wheels — 15% of its failures
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Exhaust and emissions — 13% of its failures
- Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
- Lights and electrics — 34% of its failures
- An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Plates and identity — 13% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 80–100k miles this one fails 10% of its inspections, against the 27% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–20k miles | 6% | 11% | 47 | |
| 20–40k miles | 7% | 16% | 151 | |
| 40–60k miles | 12% | 20% | 198 | |
| 60–80k miles | 14% | 24% | 118 | |
| 80–100k miles | 10% | 27% | 42 |
556 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 40k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5.2 petrol · 585 hp · 1776 kg · 2650 mm wheelbase · 12.9 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2019 | 5.2 petrol · 603 hp · 1776 kg · 2650 mm wheelbase · 12.8 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2018 | 5.2 petrol · 571 hp · 1773 kg · 2650 mm wheelbase · 12.3 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2017 | 5.2 petrol · 589 hp · 1665 kg · 2643 mm wheelbase · 11.9 L/100km (NEDC) |