Used Audi A8 2017-present reliability
Category: Luxury car
The Audi A8's performance, comfort and refinement put it near the top of the luxury car class. It's a great used buy, too.
What should I look for in a used Audi A8 saloon?
The A8 has had few reported problems so far. Nevertheless, it’s important to check your prospective purchase over thoroughly, as the A8’s a complicated car, and there are a lot of things that theoretically can go wrong.
Make sure that all of the touch-sensitive switches still work, for example, and that goes for the touchscreens too. You’ll also want to check all of the gadgets they control do what they’re supposed to – don’t rush this, as there’s so much to find your way around.
Avoid any A8 that brings up error messages in the central information display when you start the car, or has dashboard lights that stay on. Be especially careful around vehicles with air suspension problems – they can be extremely costly to sort.
Also check all four wheels out and look for signs of kerbing – wheels this big are costly to refurbish and even more expensive to replace.
What are the most common problems with a used Audi A8 saloon?
Rear shock absorbers
There have been two recalls issued regarding a problem with the rear shock absorber forks on A8s built from 27 November and 18 December 2018, and 21-24 October 2019. Check with an Audi dealer if your A8 is amongst those affected because the forks will need to be replaced if it is.
Front passenger seat rails
A problem has been found with the seat rails for the front passenger seat of some examples made from 10 January to 25 March 2019, and means that both guide rails will need to be replaced by an Audi dealer if yours is among those affected.
Gearbox oil leak
Oil may escape from a faulty join in the gearbox oil line of A8s manufactured from 1 September to 31 December 2019. Speak to an Audi dealer to find out if your car is affected, because the line will need to be replaced to solve the problem.
Active headrest
A retaining clip could be missing from the active headrests of some A8s made between 1 to 31 January 2018. Speak to an Audi dealer for further information about whether or not your car is affected.
Is a used Audi A8 saloon reliable?
The A8 didn't feature in our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey. However, the A6, its smaller sibling, did, and it finished bottom of the luxury car class.
Reliability rating 76.3%
What went wrong? Engine electrics 22%, sat-nav/infotainment 22%, non-engine electrics 19%, gearbox/clutch 11%, bodywork 7%, interior trim 7%, air-con 4%, brakes 4%, engine 4%, steering 4%
The Audi A6 saloon has been blighted by a range of electrical issues: 44% had a fault, two-thirds concerning engine and non-engine electrical systems or the sat-nav/ infotainment. Although 83% could still be driven, 46% took more than a week to put right. However, 97% were repaired for free, and none cost more than £200.
See the full list of executive cars here.
Audi as a manufacturer came 26th out of 32 car makers in the same survey, which suggests the A8 will be average for reliability, if not one of the greats. You can check out the list of all the manufacturers here.
If you want to read more results from our Reliability Survey, click here.
