UK vehicle statistics / Audi

How many Audi S3 cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 36,734 licensed and 3,398 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Audi S3 generic-model group.

Looking at a S3?

Population figures cannot tell you whether one particular car is taxed, MOT-valid or safe to buy.

Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. If the car is still worth pursuing, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.

Wondering whether one particular S3 is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the S3 disappearing?

36,734 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the S3 is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 17% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 3,398 are declared SORN — 1 in 12 of the 40,132 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

A falling population is worth knowing before you buy: it usually means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply, and it is why a good example of a scarce model can hold its price while a neglected one is hard to sell at any price.

S3 MOT pass rate

In 2024, 77.6% of 3,244 Audi S3 MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average. Pass rate moves with age: 87.6% of cars aged 6–9 years passed first time, against 72.7% aged 15–30 years.

  • Exhaust Emissions — 4.8% of tests. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
  • Headlamp Aim — 3.5% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Condition — 3.2% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
  • Anti-roll Bars — 3.1% of tests. Worn anti-roll bar links or bushes. Inexpensive but often recurring.

Full age bands and failure notes are on the Audi S3 MOT pass rate page.

Before you buy

  • Exhaust Emissions — 4.8% of tests in 2024. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
  • Headlamp Aim — 3.5% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Condition — 3.2% of tests in 2024. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
  • Anti-roll Bars — 3.1% of tests in 2024. Worn anti-roll bar links or bushes. Inexpensive but often recurring.
  • Check the actual S3 — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.

Quarterly licensed and SORN counts

Every quarter DfT has published for this model group, newest first.

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q136,7343,398
2025 Q436,5583,294
2025 Q336,4313,108
2025 Q236,2093,026
2025 Q136,0093,034
2024 Q435,7663,028
2024 Q335,4432,899
2024 Q235,1732,823
2024 Q134,8692,772
2023 Q434,5822,671
2023 Q333,9502,497
2023 Q233,2752,419
2023 Q132,7352,421
2022 Q432,6962,386
2022 Q332,2082,268
2022 Q232,1522,162
2022 Q131,9422,140
2021 Q431,5852,117
2021 Q331,5291,972
2021 Q231,7891,964
2021 Q131,3462,006
2020 Q430,7301,926
2020 Q330,2791,791
2020 Q230,3081,958
2020 Q130,0701,963
2019 Q430,0391,759
2019 Q329,8701,595
2019 Q229,9951,463
2019 Q129,1871,412
2018 Q428,1461,391
2018 Q328,3351,282
2018 Q228,0001,204
2018 Q127,0161,157
2017 Q425,7391,166
2017 Q324,6881,046
2017 Q223,191991
2017 Q122,248943
2016 Q421,254903
2016 Q319,837805
2016 Q218,916724
2016 Q118,295687
2015 Q417,182655
2015 Q316,288566
2015 Q215,455551
2015 Q114,790513
2014 Q413,703448
2014 Q313,039415

Other Audi models

See how many of every Audi model are left

Common questions

How many Audi S3 cars are left in the UK?

36,734 were licensed and 3,398 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Audi S3 cars are SORN?

3,398 are declared SORN — 1 in 12 of the 40,132 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the S3 disappearing?

36,734 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the S3 is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 17% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 3,398 are declared SORN — 1 in 12 of the 40,132 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Audi S3 MOT pass rate?

In 2024, 77.6% of 3,244 Audi S3 MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average.

What does the S3 fail its MOT on?

The most common initial failure categories in 2024 are exhaust emissions (4.8% of tests), headlamp aim (3.5% of tests), condition (3.2% of tests).

Does this say whether one S3 is a good buy?

No. These are population figures for the model group. Enter that vehicle's registration for its own free MOT, tax and mileage record.

Source and limitations

Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.

Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.