Reliable Auto DB

2020 Audi A5 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2020 Audi A5 holds 60 complaints after 7 years, a rate of 1 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A5 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Tires, Seats, and Rear non-powered axle assembly.

2012 Audi A5
Photo by Lothar Spurzem, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Complaints

60

Per year

1

Recalls

4

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (41 of 60), then Back-over prevention (15) and Lane departure (3). The most filings arrived in 2025 (51 of 60). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 A5 has 12 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2021 has 8 complaints, 1 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Audi A5. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall Tires 2022-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V034000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
Recall Seats 2021-11-10 · NHTSA campaign 21V874000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Remedy Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 21V295000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Remedy Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Recall exterior lighting, tail lights 2020-11-25 · NHTSA campaign 20V737000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2020-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, and S5 Sportback vehicles. The wiring harness for the rear lights could be missing the anti-abrasion protection in the area of the spare wheel well.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will apply scuff protection, free of charge. The recall began January 21, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EU.

Complaints by component (60 total)

Electrical system
41
Back-over prevention
15
Lane departure
3
Seat belts
2
Air bags
1
Equipment
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 3 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

12021220223202332024512025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Audi USA sent me a recall letter/service action for Infotainment System Software. The system reboots and shuts down unexpectedly while driving. Took the car to a local Audi dealership and they informed me that they…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-10-18
  • "The Multi-Media Interface (MMI) randomly reboots and poses a safety hazard. Several times while reversing using my backup camera, the MMI has rebooted which causes the camera to go blank. This poses a risk to back up…"
    Electrical system, Back-over prevention · filed 2025-08-05
  • "The MMI which controls back up and 360 cameras, parking sensors, collision avoidance system, navigation, bluetooth, radio, etc reboots randomly without warning. There is no predictability and I have not been able to…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-08-03
  • "Hello, I am writing today to inform you about the safety concerns I have over My Audis MMI issues. The MMI is the multi media infotainment which is operates my back up camera, proximity sensors and navigation. The MMI…"
    Electrical system, Lane departure · filed 2025-07-31
  • "The vehicle's Multi-Media Interface (MMI) system is reportedly shutting down randomly while the vehicle is in operation. This issue occurs without warning and is intermittent, making it unpredictable. Observed…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-07-28

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Audi A5 2 DR AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2020 Audi A5 Cabiolet C AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2020 Audi A5 Sportback 4 DR AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
A5 Cabriolet quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 23 31 26 MPG $3050
A5 Sportback quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 24 32 27 MPG $2950
A5 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 24 32 27 MPG $2950

Specs and fitment

F5 A5, 2018–present
Body styles Coupe, Cabriolet, Sportback
Oil 5W-40 (Audi/VW-approved; 2.0T) , 5.5 qt capacity
Tire size 245/40R18, 255/35R19

Known issues for this generation

Recall 17V-822 covers certain 2018 A5 Coupe vehicles built with head curtain air bag assemblies that may not unfold properly, increasing injury risk if the air bag does not deploy correctly; dealers modify the head curtain air bags. Recall 18V-893 covers certain 2018 A5 Sportback vehicles where front suspension fasteners may not have been sufficiently tightened, possibly resulting in a loose front wheel; dealers inspect and replace fasteners as needed. Recall 21V-874 covers certain 2018-2020 A5 Coupe, Cabriolet, and Sportback vehicles (with A4/S4/S5/RS5 also listed) where a seat-heater cable to the passenger occupant detection system may fault and disable the passenger air bag; dealers replace the cable and heating mat or seat cover.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Audi A5 Next year 2021 Audi A5 See every Audi A5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Audi A5 reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2020 Audi A5 holds 60 complaints after 7 years, a rate of 1 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A5 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Tires, Seats, and Rear non-powered axle assembly.

What are common problems with a 2020 Audi A5?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (41 of 60), then Back-over prevention (15) and Lane departure (3). The most filings arrived in 2025 (51 of 60). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2020 Audi A5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 A5 has 12 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2021 has 8 complaints, 1 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Audi A5 been recalled?

The 2020 Audi A5 has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Audi A5?

Owners have filed 60 complaints about the 2020 Audi A5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Audi A5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Audi A5 is 26.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What body styles does the F5 Audi A5 offer?

Coupe, Cabriolet, and Sportback depending on market and year.

What oil does an Audi A5 take?

8T 2.0T uses Audi/VW-approved 5W-40/5W-30/0W-40/0W-30 (~4.9 qt); F5 2.0T commonly lists 5W-40 (~5.5 qt).

What does recall 18V-229 cover on the A5?

Certain 2013-2017 A5 Cabriolet and A5 Sedan vehicles (with Q5, A4, and A6 also listed) with 2.0L TFSI engines—see the NHTSA campaign for the defect and remedy.