Used Audi A1 2010-2018 reliability review

Name: Used Audi A1 2010-2018
Rating: 4
Author: Mark Pearson

The A1 is a stylish small car with a suitably upmarket interior.

New
Used

More used reviews:

(2018 - )

New Mini 5dr vs Audi A1 Sportback vs Ford Fiesta

How we test cars

What should I look for in a used Audi A1?

What are the most common problems with a used Audi A1?

When viewing a used car, always follow our used car buying checklist.

See used cars for sale

Check the alloy wheels of your potential purchase. Due to the Audi A1 being designed primarily for urban dwellers, the previous owner may have mounted or brushed up against a kerb or two during their ownership and damaged the surface of the wheels.

Check the spec sheet of your car with an Audi dealership if you need a car with sat-nav. The onboard screen doesn’t come with it as standard, but it can be activated by purchasing an up-to-date SD card – although this is only the case if the car is set up for it. Some owners didn’t specify it and it's not possible to retrofit it. The dealership should be able to tell you if your car has it if you provide them with the chassis and registration number of the car.

Is a used Audi A1 reliable?

The 2010-2018 Audi A1 is generally reliable. It didn't appear in our latest What Car?, but, in previous ones, it tended to place either mid-table or towards the top. It should be similarly reliable to the rival Ford Fiesta and Mini Hatch.

advertisment

However, this A1's replacement, the 2018-present Audi A1, has had plenty of reliability issues and finished in last place out of 18 cars in the small car class in our 2o23 What Car? Reliability Survey. most recent reliability survey. Its reliability score was a concerning 87.3%.

A quarter of 2018-present A1 owners told us their cars had gone wrong, and the problems weren’t easy or cheap to fix. Although 50% of repairs were carried out for free, 25% of them cost between £201 and £500, and the other 25% exceeded £1500. Three-quarters of the faulty cars could still be driven, and a quarter were back on the road within a day, but the rest were stuck in the garage for more than a week.

As a car brand, Audi ranked 26th out of 32 manufacturers featured in our latest survey – again, poor – with an overall score of 89.1%. This placed it above Alfa Romeo, Jaguar and Vauxhall but below most of its main rivals including BMW, Mercedes and Toyota.

Tips & Advice

Check for outstanding recalls

Many cars are recalled so that faults can be put right. Recall work shouldn’t cost you a penny, and they’ll make your car safer or more mechanically robust. Checking if your car has been recalled is easy

Choose the right breakdown cover

You may already have a breakdown policy through your home insurance or new-car warranty so check to avoid paying twice

Make sure you have warranty cover

New cars usually have warranties that last between three and seven years that can help cover the cost of mechanical faults. But this protection can last longer with an extended warranty

Used cars available now

In partnership with