2012 Audi A7

Car · 2012–2026

2012–2018 Audi A7 — 2012–2018 pictured. Photo: EurovisionNim, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which year to buy

Best betNo standoutNo year is clearly better than the rest Newest we'd buy2020The latest year rated a good buy Avoid2012–2014, 2016, 2019Far more serious problems than usual Be careful2021More problems; check the recalls were done

usual

’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 ’21

Bar height: serious owner complaints to NHTSA for that year, against this model's usual year.

2012AVOIDSerious complaints 4.0× usual, mostly air bags and steering Extended coverage

25 serious complaints of 30, the most about air bags (7) and steering (6); 4.0× this model's usual share of all serious complaints about 2012 vehicles. 5 recalls.

What owners report

“Nhtsa recall number 18v370 no pods repair kits available for existing customers driving around in vehicles while audi issued stop sale on cars in stock at their facility with the dangerous part.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the air bags, Feb 2019

“As I was driving with my 4 year old daughter in the vehicle, while making a left turn my vehicle steering wheel locked or seemed to lock on me with no warning, and then the "DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLE" indicator appeared. Thank God I was able to safety steer into a driveway. Inspection is available upon request.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the steering, Mar 2022

Fixes and extended coverage

Extended coverage This document contains general information on the upcoming warranty extension on the high pressure fuel pump. (Dealer, Apr 2015)
Extended coverage Audi: all audi 2011-2012 model year with an 2.0 tfsi engine will be extending the warranty on all fuel injectors. 7/23/15 *ta (PRI-A, Jul 2015)
Repair program Diagnosed and confirmed malfunction of the vehicle’s AEB system that resulted from failure or malfunction of the AEB system’s control unit, camera(s), LIDAR, and/or sensor(s) which enable automatic emergency braking functionality. (AWA 24, May 2024)

From the manufacturer's bulletins filed with NHTSA. A dealer can look up whether a car has had the work done or is still covered.

30 owner complaints · 5 recalls (check a car's VIN for open recalls) · EPA combined: 22 mpg · NHTSA: Not rated · 2012 trims and features

Every A7 year's verdict →

Verdicts computed from NHTSA owner complaints, defect investigations and recalls. NHTSA doesn't publish sales, so only big differences count. (How we judge.) Data checked 2026-10-06.

Trims and features

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Engines: 3.0L 6-cyl supercharged · Drive: AWD

2012 A7 trims

	quattro	quattro Premium	quattro Premium Plus	quattro Prestige

base price, seating and driver-assistance equipment from NHTSA's vehicle database (vPIC), as Audi reports it. Tech and comfort features (CarPlay, heated seats, sunroof) for Audi aren't in our data yet. "—": not verified in our sources. "Varies": standard on some versions of the trim.

Year by year

Year	Engines	Drive	Fuel economy	Crash rating	Recalls	Owner complaints	Most-reported problem	CarPlay
2026	—	—	—	Not rated	1	0	—	—
2025	3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	AWD	25 mpg	Not rated	1	0	—	Yes
2024	3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	AWD	25 mpg	Not rated	1	0	—	Yes
2023	3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	AWD	24 mpg	Not rated	1	0	—	Yes
2022	2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 362 hp 3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	4WD, AWD	24–27 mpg	Not rated	14	0	—	Yes
2021	2.0L 4-cyl turbo, 362 hp 3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	AWD	24–29 mpg	Not rated	11	15	Electrical system (8)	Yes
2020	3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	AWD	24 mpg	Not rated	8	5	Electrical system (4)	Yes
2019	3.0L 6-cyl turbo, 335 hp	AWD	25 mpg	Not rated	6	43	Electrical system (24)	Yes
2018	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged, 340 hp	AWD	23 mpg	Not rated	2	0	—	Yes
2017	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged, 333 hp	AWD	24 mpg	Not rated	5	7	Engine (3)	Yes
2016	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged, 240–333 hp 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel, 240–333 hp	AWD	24–30 mpg	Not rated	5	36	Engine (14)	No
2015	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel	AWD	21–29 mpg	Not rated	5	8	Engine (4)	No
2014	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel	AWD	21–29 mpg	Not rated	5	30	Engine (14)	No
2013	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged	AWD	21 mpg	Not rated	7	35	Engine (19)	No
2012	3.0L 6-cyl supercharged	AWD	22 mpg	Not rated	5	30	Air bags (7)	No

Owner complaints are unverified reports to NHTSA, counted as filed: older years have had longer to collect them and sales aren't adjusted for, so see Which year to buy for a fair comparison. Most-reported problem: the component named in the most complaints that year. Sources: EPA, NHTSA, Apple.

Which years have…

Lane centering Blind-spot monitoring

Apple lists CarPlay for: A7 2017–2025 (Apple).

Every NHTSA-rated version: crash ratings, safety tech, recalls, complaints

Year	Version	Stars	Forward collision warning	Lane departure warning	Recalls	Complaints
2026	AUDI RS 7 PERFORMANCE 4 DR MHEV AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2025	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2025	Audi RS 7 performance 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2025	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2024	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2024	Audi RS 7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2024	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2023	Audi Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2023	Audi Audi RS 7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2023	Audi Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	1	0
2022	Audi Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	6	0
2022	Audi Audi A7 PHEV 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	1	0
2022	Audi Audi RS 7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	4	0
2022	Audi Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	3	0
2021	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	11	6
2021	Audi A7 (With Rear Seat SABs) 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	11	6
2021	Audi A7 PHEV 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	0	2
2021	Audi RS 7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	12	4
2021	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	Standard	10	3
2020	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	8	2
2020	Audi A7 (With Rear Seat SABs) 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	8	2
2020	Audi A7 PHEV 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	8	2
2020	Audi RS 7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	0	0
2020	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Standard	No	6	3
2019	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	No	No	6	43
2018	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	0	0
2018	Audi RS7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	2	0
2018	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	1	0
2017	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	4	1
2017	Audi RS7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	3	0
2017	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	2	6
2016	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	3	15
2016	Audi RS7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	3	6
2016	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	2	15
2015	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	3	5
2015	Audi RS7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	2	2
2015	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	3	1
2014	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	2	11
2014	Audi RS7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	No	No	2	5
2014	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	4	14
2013	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	5	19
2013	Audi S7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	Optional	No	3	16
2012	Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not Rated	No	No	5	30

Source: NHTSA.

Every EPA-rated version: engines and combined mpg

Year	EPA model	Engines	Combined
2025	A7 quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	25
2024	A7 quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	25
2023	A7	Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	24
2022	A7 TFSI e quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo	27
2022	A7 quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	24
2021	A7 quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Turbo Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	24–29
2020	A7 quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	24
2019	A7 quattro	Auto (AM-S7), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Turbo	25
2018	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	23
2017	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	24
2016	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	24–30
2015	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	21–29
2014	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Diesel, Turbo Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	21–29
2013	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	21
2012	A7 quattro	Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Sup Charg	22

Source: fueleconomy.gov.

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