Audi S5

59 complaints across 1 scored model years and 4 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Audi S5 Full report

Grade 2018–2018

2018 vs model median 1.0×

Model median3× median

Lights & Visibility 3

Engine 2

Brakes 2

Weakest

2018

Best

2018

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Audi S5
Year	Complaint volume	vs median	Reports	Grade
2018		1.00×	20	B
2025 P		0.94×	22	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	22
City / Highway	19 / 28
Engine	3L, 6 cyl
Drive	All-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$3,450

Recalls

4 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V874000	SEATS	2018	208,332
19V547000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2018	145,337
25V899000	SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR	2025	27,768
25V638000	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	2025	1,042

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4	none flagged	B
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2018 S5

Complaints in window: 20
Severity-weighted: 39.5
Model median (weighted): 40
vs model median: 1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 2
Open investigations: 0

Score 70 B