MOT fail rates

BMW 4 Series MOT fail rate by age

How often the BMW 4 Series fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 417,430 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 22 September 2026

At 7 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 7 (n=70,637)15.5%

All cars at 7 years (n=10,537,318)20.6%

Median mileage at test59,310

All cars, median mileage52,953

91 of 330 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 7 years.

What stands out

At 3 years the BMW 4 Series fails 12.1% of MOTs (30,556 tests), about the same as the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 12 years it fails 22.9% (1,526 tests), 13.1 points below the 36.0% average.
The gap is widest at 12 years: 13.1 points below all cars.
Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 7 years: Road wheel attachment: fixing missing, at 0.7 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

BMW 4 Series: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference	Median mileage
3 years	12.1%	30,556	12.1%	+0.1 pts	22,986 miles
4 years	12.0%	38,917	13.4%	−1.4 pts	30,780 miles
5 years	13.0%	48,863	15.3%	−2.3 pts	39,923 miles
6 years	14.2%	62,517	17.8%	−3.6 pts	49,768 miles
7 years	15.5%	70,637	20.6%	−5.1 pts	59,310 miles
8 years	16.7%	67,165	23.8%	−7.1 pts	68,603 miles
9 years	18.3%	51,085	27.1%	−8.8 pts	76,886 miles
10 years	20.1%	32,238	30.3%	−10.2 pts	83,645 miles
11 years	22.2%	13,926	33.3%	−11.1 pts	89,328 miles
12 years	22.9%	1,526	36.0%	−13.1 pts	96,768 miles

Most common fail items at 7 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs
Road wheel attachment: fixing missing Major	0.7
Shock absorber leaking Major	0.6

Out of 70,637 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous	2.8
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous	2.8
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major	2.2
Tyre condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous	2
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous	1.5
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Major	1
Headlight aimed too high Major	0.7
Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements Major	0.6

Out of 70,637 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 7 years

Model	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
BMW 1 Series	17.4%	125,818	20.6%
BMW 3 Series	15.3%	120,281	20.6%
BMW 2 Series	16.5%	78,101	20.6%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated 28 September 2026.

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First used	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
2013	12 years in 2025	22.9%	1,526	36.0%
2014	11 years in 2025	22.2%	12,349	33.3%
2015	10 years in 2025	19.6%	17,983	30.3%
2016	9 years in 2025	16.6%	18,229	27.1%
2017	8 years in 2025	15.5%	17,171	23.8%
2018	7 years in 2025	14.8%	15,582	20.6%
2019	6 years in 2025	14.9%	10,248	17.8%
2020	5 years in 2025	13.1%	4,583	15.3%
2021	4 years in 2025	11.7%	6,932	13.4%
2022	3 years in 2025	11.2%	7,517	12.1%

More on the BMW 4 Series

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Looking at one BMW 4 Series?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources