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Audi vs Ford Reliability

Audi leads on our inspections: 63/100 average condition vs 58/100 for Ford, from 715 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
AudiFord
Cars inspected149566
Average condition63/10058/100
In good shape (60+/100)59%51%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~95k mi~127k mi
Repainted or replaced panel74%70%
Structural repair found3%4%
Fault codes recently cleared29%24%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Excellent 27% Good 32% Mediocre 25% Poor 17%
Excellent 23% Good 28% Mediocre 24% Poor 25%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Audi▬ Ford▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Audi, 0–20k mi: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars in this band)Audi, 20–40k mi: 91% in good shape (23 cars)Audi, 40–60k mi: 80% in good shape (25 cars)Audi, 60–80k mi: 44% in good shape (27 cars)Audi, 80–100k mi: 39% in good shape (23 cars)Audi, 100–120k mi: 43% in good shape (21 cars)Audi, 120–140k mi: 33% in good shape (9 cars)Audi, 140–160k mi: 23%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band) Ford, 0–20k mi: 88% in good shape (25 cars)Ford, 20–40k mi: 87% in good shape (45 cars)Ford, 40–60k mi: 83% in good shape (65 cars)Ford, 60–80k mi: 66% in good shape (59 cars)Ford, 80–100k mi: 59% in good shape (69 cars)Ford, 100–120k mi: 41% in good shape (80 cars)Ford, 120–140k mi: 46% in good shape (57 cars)Ford, 140–160k mi: 21% in good shape (48 cars)Ford, 160–180k mi: 38% in good shape (34 cars)Ford, 180–200k mi: 22% in good shape (27 cars)Ford, 200–220k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Audi▬ Ford▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Audi, 1 years old: 94%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Audi, 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Audi, 3 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Audi, 4 years old: 87% in good shape (15 cars)Audi, 5 years old: 81%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age)Audi, 6 years old: 63%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Audi, 7 years old: 38% in good shape (21 cars)Audi, 8 years old: 50%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age)Audi, 9 years old: 41%, drawn from the nearby bands (14 cars this age)Audi, 10 years old: 46%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Audi, 11 years old: 43%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Audi, 12 years old: 27%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Audi, 13 years old: 14%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age) Ford, 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Ford, 2 years old: 96% in good shape (23 cars)Ford, 3 years old: 93% in good shape (30 cars)Ford, 4 years old: 78% in good shape (45 cars)Ford, 5 years old: 71% in good shape (38 cars)Ford, 6 years old: 62% in good shape (45 cars)Ford, 7 years old: 63% in good shape (46 cars)Ford, 8 years old: 37% in good shape (49 cars)Ford, 9 years old: 37% in good shape (46 cars)Ford, 10 years old: 58% in good shape (33 cars)Ford, 11 years old: 54% in good shape (24 cars)Ford, 12 years old: 40% in good shape (30 cars)Ford, 13 years old: 31% in good shape (16 cars)Ford, 14 years old: 33%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Ford, 15 years old: 32%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Ford, 16 years old: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Oil leaks · Engine
61%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
42%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
40%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
31%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
28%
Oil leaks · Engine
57%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
38%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
30%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
30%
Oil leaks · Drivetrain
20%
Trajectory by generation
Audi ▲ Newer Audis are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 30% in good shape (age-adjusted; 19 cars, raw 32%) 30 2015–17: 68% in good shape (age-adjusted; 27 cars, raw 63%) 68 2018–20: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 25 cars, raw 64%) 59 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+
Ford ▲ Newer Fords are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 41% in good shape (age-adjusted; 37 cars, raw 38%) 41 2015–17: 53% in good shape (age-adjusted; 99 cars, raw 49%) 53 2018–20: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 94 cars, raw 64%) 59 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Audi or Ford?
Audi leads on our inspections: 63/100 average condition vs 58/100 for Ford, from 715 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Audis and Fords?
On Audis we flag oil leaks (61%), active error codes (42%), tires condition & wear (40%). On Fords: oil leaks (57%), tires condition & wear (38%), fuel trim out of range (30%).
?
How many Audi and Ford vehicles have you inspected?
149 Audis and 566 Fords — 715 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
How long do Audis and Fords stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Audi dips below “decent” around ~95k mi; Ford around ~127k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
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Based on 715 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026