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MOT fail rates

BMW 6 Series MOT fail rate by age

How often the BMW 6 Series fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 89,667 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 9 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 9 (n=7,945)17.4%
All cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012)27.1%
Median mileage at test73,794
All cars, median mileage68,033

47 of 315 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 9 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the BMW 6 Series fails 9.9% of MOTs (1,378 tests), 2.1 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 20 years it fails 28.9% (2,282 tests), 13.8 points below the 42.8% average.
  • The gap is widest at 15 years: 17.3 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 9 years: Coil spring broken, at 3.5 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age, first used undefined or later

3 years 20 years 47.6%

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

BMW 6 Series (first used undefined or later): share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years9.9%1,37812.1%−2.1 pts26,335 miles
4 years11.7%3,76013.4%−1.7 pts34,142 miles
5 years12.8%5,07815.3%−2.5 pts42,720 miles
6 years14.4%6,66317.8%−3.5 pts50,076 miles
7 years15.4%7,59020.6%−5.2 pts57,842 miles
8 years16.9%7,28923.8%−6.9 pts65,174 miles
9 years17.4%7,94527.1%−9.7 pts73,794 miles
10 years19.7%7,67430.3%−10.6 pts81,966 miles
11 years20.5%6,23233.3%−12.7 pts87,024 miles
12 years21.2%4,65436.0%−14.8 pts93,310 miles
13 years22.6%3,30638.3%−15.7 pts96,827 miles
14 years23.5%2,99540.3%−16.7 pts103,603 miles
15 years24.3%3,67841.6%−17.3 pts109,093 miles
16 years26.5%4,60742.6%−16.1 pts108,765 miles
17 years27.0%5,34743.1%−16.1 pts109,307 miles
18 years29.0%5,31143.3%−14.3 pts108,725 miles
19 years29.7%3,87843.2%−13.5 pts108,636 miles
20 years28.9%2,28242.8%−13.8 pts107,314 miles

Most common fail items at 9 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 itemPer 100 MOTs
Coil spring broken Major3.5
Road wheel attachment: fixing missing Major0.7

Out of 7,945 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous3.1
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous2.7
Wipers not clearing screen Major2.1
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous2.1
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major1.9
Tyre condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous1
Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements Major0.8
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous0.8

Out of 7,945 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 9 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
BMW 1 Series23.0%134,09627.1%
BMW 3 Series20.4%132,58527.1%
BMW 5 Series17.8%64,05027.1%

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 .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
200420 years in 202427.5%1,08342.8%
200520 years in 202530.2%1,19942.8%
200619 years in 202528.7%1,37243.2%
200718 years in 202525.7%1,13943.3%
200817 years in 202524.0%1,02843.1%
201213 years in 202521.7%1,43038.3%
201312 years in 202520.8%1,89736.0%
201411 years in 202521.4%1,93033.3%
201510 years in 202517.7%1,90530.3%
20169 years in 202514.6%1,81227.1%
20178 years in 202515.6%1,31723.8%
20187 years in 202513.4%2,28620.6%
20196 years in 202511.5%1,05717.8%

More on the BMW 6 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 6 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