Audi S5: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Audi S5: 15 model years scored from 147 NHTSA owner complaints and 23 recall campaigns. Worst year 2020, best year 2021.
Audi S5: which years to avoid
Across 14 scored model years the Audi S5 ranges from 45/100 in 2018 to 94/100 in 2015 — a 49-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a S5 at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (18 of them).
Avoid: 2018, 2020 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the S5 changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2013
Mean score 90/100, about 1 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (11 complaints). 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2015–2025
Mean score 82/100, about 3 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Unknown Or Other more than anything else (40 complaints). 8 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2021 (score 86). Worst: 2020 (score 48, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 87 | BUY | $3,980 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | 91 | BUY | $4,139 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 90 | BUY | $4,110 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 90 | BUY | $4,250 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 86 | BUY | $4,547 | 2 | 5 |
| 2020 | 48 | AVOID | $4,838 | 50 | 4 |
| 2019 | 82 | BUY | $4,552 | 12 | 4 |
| 2018 | 45 | AVOID | $4,934 | 52 | 3 |
| 2017 | 90 | BUY | $5,250 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 94 | BUY | $5,392 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 94 | BUY | $5,533 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | — | DATA PENDING | $5,670 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 89 | BUY | $5,833 | 16 | 0 |
| 2012 | 90 | BUY | $6,163 | 10 | 1 |
| 2011 | 90 | BUY | $6,290 | 0 | 1 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the S5, through the years →
S5 sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the S5 on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Audi S5
Across every S5 model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Unknown Or Other41 complaints across all S5 years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System32 complaints across all S5 years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Engine28 complaints across all S5 years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Back Over Prevention22 complaints across all S5 years · typical job: Reversing camera or park-sensor replacement$420–$940
- Air Bags15 complaints across all S5 years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Forward Collision Avoidance13 complaints across all S5 years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Audi S5 years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2018, 2020 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2018 is the weakest at 45/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Audi S5 years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2015 at 94/100, on 2 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Audi S5 problem?
41 of the complaints filed against the S5 across all its model years sit in the Unknown Or Other group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04