MODELYEARINDEX

Which Audi S5 years to avoid

No Audi S5 model year in 2018–2018 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2018, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Audi S5 Full report
B
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.

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 owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2018 B 20 reports · median 10,500 mi

  1. Lights & Visibility 3

    My car has a "top view" rear camera system to aid in reversing. This system fails and is in an unpredictable state on the screen every time I reverse, not showing the view around my car. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 2

    Maximum oil light warning light, reduce oil level, since purchased. Gasoline getting into oil. Removed 9 quarts of gasoline saturated oil out of car. Audi says I need to drive car more. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 2

    The contact owns a 2018 audi s5. The contact stated that the gearbox and parking brake released while the vehicle was in park. As a result, the vehicle rolled away and crashed into a concrete barrier. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

4 crash

The best year for the S5

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2018 is the best-scoring S5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 1.00× 20 B

Recalls

4 campaigns on record.

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

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2018 were reported at a median of 10,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Audi S5 years should you avoid?
No Audi S5 model year in 2018–2018 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2018.
What is the best year for the Audi S5?
2018 is the best-scoring Audi S5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Audi S5 have?
4 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Audi S5 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

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