BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 84.2% of BMW 7 Series MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 18,034 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
92.1%
All cars: 86.1% (6 points better). 3,323 tests.
At 6–10 years
88.5%
All cars: 76.1% (12.4 points better). 6,598 tests.
At 11 years and over
77.5%
All cars: 61.3% (16.2 points better). 8,113 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 986 | 92.6% | 87.8% | 41,250 miles |
| 4 | 1,097 | 92.2% | 86.4% | 46,250 miles |
| 5 | 1,240 | 91.7% | 84.5% | 53,750 miles |
| 6 | 1,675 | 90.1% | 81.9% | 66,250 miles |
| 7 | 1,478 | 89.7% | 79.3% | 71,250 miles |
| 8 | 1,681 | 89.5% | 76.3% | 78,750 miles |
| 9 | 980 | 85.7% | 73.1% | 88,750 miles |
| 10 | 784 | 84.4% | 70.0% | 98,750 miles |
| 11 | 797 | 82.6% | 66.9% | 103,750 miles |
| 12 | 664 | 83.1% | 64.4% | 111,250 miles |
| 13 | 868 | 81.5% | 62.1% | 118,750 miles |
| 14 | 590 | 84.7% | 60.2% | 128,750 miles |
| 15 | 528 | 84.5% | 58.6% | 128,750 miles |
| 16 | 445 | 76.2% | 57.5% | 131,250 miles |
| 17 | 548 | 78.3% | 57.2% | 138,750 miles |
| 18 | 623 | 73.7% | 57.0% | 136,250 miles |
| 19 | 555 | 72.6% | 57.2% | 133,750 miles |
| 20+ | 2,495 | 71.9% | 61.4% | 126,250 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of BMW 7 Series MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | 7 Series | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 7.9% | 13.7% |
| Tyres | 6.2% | 8.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.3% | 16.6% |
| Brakes | 4.6% | 10.2% |
| Visibility | 3.0% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.0% | 4.0% |
| Road wheels | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.5% | 4.2% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 2.1% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 1.7% of tests
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 1.4% of tests
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 1.4% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 1.3% of tests
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid failed 1.2% of tests · what this means
- Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.1% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 1.0% of tests · what this means
- Condition: fractured failed 0.9% of tests
Checking a particular 7 Series?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every 7 Series version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: diesel 64.7%, petrol 22.7%, hybrid electric (clean) 8.7%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other BMW models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.