VDA 6.3 is the German automotive industry’s standard method for auditing a supplier’s processes, from the assessment of a new supplier’s potential through development and launch to series production, and it is the audit many UK component makers face when they supply German vehicle makers or their tier one customers. Unlike a management system audit, it looks at how a specific product is actually developed and made, and it produces a scored result that customers use in sourcing and supplier development decisions.
This explainer covers the current edition, the seven process elements, the scoring and A, B and C classification, what is publicly known about downgrading, how the potential analysis differs from a full process audit, and how customers such as the Volkswagen Group reference the standard. It is written for quality managers and supplier quality engineers preparing for, or commissioning, a process audit.
The current VDA 6.3 edition
The VDA QMC webshop lists Volume 6 Part 3, Process Audit as a fourth revised edition dated January 2023, first published in 1998 and revised in 2010, 2016 and 2023. According to that listing, the 2023 revision added software aspects to the questionnaire, harmonised content with Automotive SPICE and the VDA maturity level assurance method for new parts, added purchasing requirements to elements P3 and P4, specified auditor qualifications and added notes on remote audits. It removed the chapter on the audit process, since ISO 19011 covers that ground, and dropped the separate evaluation of transport and parts handling.
The VDA QMC FAQ on VDA 6.3 says the 2023 volume applies from January 2023 with no official transition period, so customer-specific requirements decide which edition an audit uses. The same listing warns that results under the 2023 edition are not directly comparable with 2016 results, which matters for any supplier tracking its scores over time.
Process elements P1 to P7
The audit is organised into seven process elements. The VDA QMC FAQ confirms that P1 is the potential analysis and that P2 to P7 make up the full process audit. The element titles below follow the 2010 edition as recorded in the German Wikipedia article on process audits; the 2023 listing says the questionnaire structure is unchanged, though exact wording in the current volume may differ.
| Element | Scope |
|---|---|
| P1 | Potential analysis of a new supplier or site |
| P2 | Project management |
| P3 | Planning of product and process development |
| P4 | Realisation of product and process development |
| P5 | Supplier management |
| P6 | Process analysis in production |
| P7 | Customer care, customer satisfaction and service |
P6 is usually the heaviest element because it is applied to each relevant process step and broken into sub-elements. Not every element applies to every audit: the VDA listing refers to a figure in the volume that sets out which of P2 to P7 apply at each stage, so a series production audit will focus on different elements from one carried out during development.
Scoring and the A, B and C rating
Each question is scored on a 10, 8, 6, 4, 0 scale, which the VDA listing confirms was unchanged in 2023. Broadly, 10 means requirements are fully met and 0 means they are not met, with intermediate scores reflecting how far process weaknesses have been recognised and controlled. The overall result is expressed as a degree of fulfilment, the points achieved as a share of the points possible, and classified as A, B or C.
- A: 90 to 100 percent.
- B: 80 to 89 percent.
- C: below 80 percent.
These bands are taken from the German Wikipedia article’s account of the 2010 edition; the 2023 listing confirms only that the A, B and C classification system itself has not changed, so teams should check the bands against their copy of the volume.
A supplementary sanctioned interpretation published by VDA QMC, dated 2 January 2023, adds a coverage rule: at least two thirds of the questions in each audited element, sub-element or process step must be evaluated. Where that rule is not met, the element is excluded from the overall result, its questions are marked as not evaluated and the downgrading rules do not apply to it.
Downgrading rules and star questions
A VDA 6.3 result is not just an average. The volume contains downgrading rules that can reduce the classification even when the overall percentage looks acceptable, typically triggered by low scores on questions marked with an asterisk, known as star questions, or by weak results in individual elements. The VDA listing states that the previous downgrading rules were kept in 2023, while the FAQ explains that the distribution of star questions was reweighted; one question, 6.3.1, lost its star because its sub-element contains only three questions, so a single low score would distort the result.
The detailed downgrading thresholds are set out in the volume itself and are not published openly by VDA QMC, so this article does not restate them. In practice, the effect is that a supplier can score in the A band overall and still be classified B or C because of a single critical weakness. Preparation should therefore start with the star questions and the weakest sub-elements, not the overall percentage. Our article on supplier development as a shared production problem discusses how customers and suppliers can work through those findings together.
Potential analysis and how customers use VDA 6.3
The potential analysis, P1, is used before a supplier or site is nominated, to judge whether it is capable of delivering a new product. The VDA QMC FAQ says it requires an on-site visit and can be done remotely only to a limited extent, and that the 2023 edition softened the red rating by allowing a management decision. Remote audits cannot, according to the FAQ, represent a fully comprehensive P2 to P7 process audit, although hybrid audits may be accepted depending on risk.
Customer requirements decide how the results are used. The Volkswagen Group customer-specific requirements of March 2022, published by IATF, say process audits in the supply chain must follow Formel Q Capability and be carried out by certified VDA 6.3 auditors, and that the annual supplier self-audit is valid for a maximum of 12 months. Auditor certification, according to the FAQ, involves a four-day course and an examination, and a VDA 6.3:2023 certificate is valid for five years. Lower-tier suppliers can expect the same method to be pushed down the chain, as our article on supplier risk below tier one explains.
Key points for supplier quality teams
- Confirm in the customer’s requirements which edition applies; 2016 and 2023 results are not directly comparable.
- Identify which of P2 to P7 apply at the current project stage before preparing evidence.
- Prioritise star questions and weak sub-elements, since downgrading can override a high percentage.
- Check the two-thirds coverage rule when scoping process steps.
- Use certified VDA 6.3 auditors where a customer such as the Volkswagen Group requires them.
- Plan a potential analysis as an on-site exercise rather than a remote review.
Sources
- VDA QMC: Volume 6 Part 3, Process Audit, edition 2023 (English)
- VDA QMC: Band 6 Teil 3, Prozessaudit, Ausgabe 2023 (German)
- VDA QMC: VDA 6.3 FAQ
- VDA QMC: VDA 6.3 sanctioned interpretations and FAQs, 2023
- VDA QMC: VDA 6.3:2023 process auditor qualification (ID 381)
- IATF: Volkswagen Group customer-specific requirements, March 2022
- Wikipedia (German): Prozessaudit
Sources checked in November 2026. Rules, rates and schemes can change after publication, so check the linked official pages before acting.
