MOT data

BMW 8 Series MOT fail rate by age and year

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 15,615 MOT tests · Updated 7 Oct 2026

At 3 years, 15.8% of BMW 8 Series MOT tests ended in a fail (adjusted to typical mileage), against 12.1% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 3 (6,053 MOT tests) ^[1].

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First used 2019: 1.1 pts above cars the same age, 5,190 MOT tests
Tyres: fails 2.3–2.6× as often as cars the same age at 3 years, 713 of 6,053 MOT tests
Mileage: median 22,018 miles at 3 years against 22,806 for all class 4 vehicles, 6,053 MOT tests

Which engine and year a car has decides which of these apply. Check the reg first.

Figures are for the model, not one car, and compare with all class 4 vehicles tested at 3 in the same test year.

Fail rate at 3 years, typical mileage: 15.8%; vs 12.1% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 3; 6,053 MOT tests
Fail rate at 3 years, raw: 15.3%; vs 12.1% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 3; 6,053 MOT tests
Rank at 3 years: 177 of 207; 1 = fewest fails at typical mileage, among models with 5,000+ MOT tests at 3; 6,053 MOT tests
Median mileage at 3 years: 22,018 mi; vs 22,806 mi for all class 4 vehicles; 6,053 MOT tests

BMW 8 Series MOT fail rate by age

Each line follows the cars first used in one year across the ages they were tested at from 2022 to 2025, so a line never mixes a 2005 car with a 2015 one. 16k DVSA MOT tests in all (15,615).

At 3 years and typical mileage that is 31% more fails than all class 4 vehicles tested at 3 (6,053 MOT tests).

BMW 8 Series, one line per first-use year (darker = newer) all class 4 vehicles at the same age

BMW 8 Series, first used 2018 or later: share of MOT tests that failed, by age. Only ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests. 'Typical mileage' is n/a where the model's mileage bands cover less than 80% of the national mix.
Age	MOT tests	Raw	Typical mileage	All class 4	Difference
3	6,053	15.3%	15.8%	12.1%	+3.8 pts
4	4,894	13.0%	13.3%	13.2%	+0.1 pts
5	3,209	14.8%	15.2%	14.5%	+0.6 pts
6	1,459	15.6%	16.1%	16.5%	−0.4 pts

Higher MOT fail rate than average: 15.3% raw · 15.8% at typical mileage, against 12.1% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 3, 6,053 MOT tests. Which years? See the full verdict

First-use year with more MOT fails than cars the same age: 2019 (raw rates, not adjusted for mileage; each against 5,190 or more MOT tests).

What fails on a BMW 8 Series at 3 years

1 of 11 parts fail clearly more or less often than on cars the same age, with the same direction at 3 or more ages up to 18 years and no mixed picture.

What failed at 3 years, per 100 MOT tests (6,053 MOT tests), against all class 4 vehicles tested at 3. A test that fails on two parts counts for both.
Part	Per 100	All class 4	Compared	Most common fail
Tyres	11.8	4.8	fails 2.3–2.6× as often as cars the same age	Tyre has ply or cords exposed (MOT fail)
Lights and electrics	1.2	2.9	about average for cars the same age	Headlamp aim too high (MOT fail)
Number plates and VIN	1.1	0.2	about average for cars the same age	Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (MOT fail)
Road wheels	1.1	0.1	about average for cars the same age	Road wheel fractured (MOT fail)
Visibility	0.6	2.8	about average for cars the same age
Brakes	0.2	1.7	about average for cars the same age

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Check one BMW 8 Series, not the average

The figures here describe BMW 8 Series cars as a group. A registration shows one car's own DVSA record: its MOT tests, the mileage at each test and the recall flag.

Check a BMW 8 Series's MOT history Every MOT test, fail item, advisory and mileage reading DVSA holds for that registration.
Mileage check on a BMW 8 Series The odometer reading from each MOT, with drops, jumps and long gaps flagged.
Check a BMW 8 Series for an outstanding recall Whether DVSA's MOT record flags an outstanding safety recall for that registration.

More BMW 8 Series data

BMW 8 Series recalls

1 DVSA recall lists this model by name [2]. Vehicles are DVSA's count of affected BMW 8 Series vehicles. The latest:

R/2021/085 Also covers the BMW 8 Series: Affected vehicles may be fitted with brake discs which are not to specification (1,410 vehicles of this model), built Jan 2021 to Feb 2021. From the recall's stated risk: “Affected vehicles may be fitted with brake discs which were not produced according to the specifications”

Ask the seller for proof the work was done. Check any car on GOV.UK

BMW 8 Series against similar cars at 3 years

Same class and fuel, all tested at 3 years, at typical mileage.

Model	Fail rate	95% range	MOT tests
BMW 8 Series	15.8%	14.9% to 16.8%	6,053
Audi TT MOT fail rate	9.4%	8.7% to 10.1%	12,825
Porsche 911 MOT fail rate	7.4%	6.0% to 9.2%	8,273
Mazda MX-5 MOT fail rate	8.5%	7.5% to 9.5%	8,032
BMW Z4 MOT fail rate	10.1%	9.0% to 11.4%	5,735
BMW M4 MOT fail rate	11.2%	10.0% to 12.4%	5,541
Jaguar F-Type MOT fail rate	11.4%	9.9% to 13.0%	4,600
Ford Mustang MOT fail rate	14.7%	13.0% to 16.6%	3,477
Porsche Cayman MOT fail rate	5.4%	4.2% to 6.9%	3,462

Other BMW models

More BMW 8 Series data

Years

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By part

Questions people ask

How often does a BMW 8 Series fail its MOT at 3 years?

15.8% of MOT tests at 3 years ended in a fail at typical mileage (15.3% as tested), from 6,053 MOT tests, against 12.1% for all class 4 vehicles the same age; the Audi TT was at 9.4%.

What fails most on a BMW 8 Series at 3 years?

11.8 in 100 MOT tests at 3 years failed on tyres, most often "tyre has ply or cords exposed", then lights and electrics (1.2) and number plates and VIN (1.1), from 6,053 MOT tests.

How does the BMW 8 Series compare with the Audi TT?

At 3 years the BMW 8 Series failed 15.8% of MOT tests at typical mileage, the Audi TT 9.4% and the Porsche 911 7.4%, from 6,053, 12,825 and 8,273 MOT tests.

Does the BMW 8 Series fail on tyres more than other cars?

11.8 in 100 MOT tests at 3 years failed on tyres, against 4.8 for all class 4 vehicles: 2.3–2.6× as often, from 6,053 MOT tests, in the same direction at 3 ages.

Sources

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 15,615 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Vehicle safety recalls data. DVSA recall data. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Cars tested at 3 years are compared only with vehicles tested at 3 years in the same year, adjusted to typical mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data.