Bentley Continental MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Bentley Continental took 14,539 MOT tests in Britain and passed 91% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 14,539
- First-time pass rate
- 91%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Continental fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Tyres2.9% (all cars 6.4%)
- Lights and electrics2.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.2% (all cars 3.1%)
- Brakes1.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Suspension0.9% (all cars 9.0%)
- Visibility0.9% (all cars 4.8%)
- Number plates and VIN0.6% (all cars 0.4%)
- Body and structure0.4% (all cars 3.5%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.6%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 0.8%
- Tyres, condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure 0.7%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 0.5%
- Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements 0.5%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 0.4%
- Headlamp aim: too high 0.4%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 0.4%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 5.9%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 4.3%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.3%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 2.6%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 1.9%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
- Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 1.3%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged 1.0%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1,147 | 87% |
| 2005 | 1,230 | 88% |
| 2006 | 1,172 | 87% |
| 2007 | 1,377 | 90% |
| 2008 | 911 | 88% |
| 2009 | 437 | 92% |
| 2010 | 551 | 90% |
| 2011 | 579 | 91% |
| 2012 | 748 | 92% |
| 2013 | 742 | 95% |
| 2014 | 769 | 94% |
| 2015 | 817 | 94% |
| 2016 | 857 | 94% |
| 2017 | 660 | 95% |
| 2018 | 603 | 95% |
| 2019 | 827 | 95% |
| 2020 | 646 | 94% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 12,371 miles |
| 4 years | 15,111 miles |
| 5 years | 18,551 miles |
| 6 years | 23,712 miles |
| 7 years | 27,139 miles |
| 8 years | 29,872 miles |
| 9 years | 34,237 miles |
| 10 years | 39,072 miles |
| 11 years | 40,843 miles |
| 12 years | 43,594 miles |
| 13 years | 44,610 miles |
| 14 years | 49,572 miles |
| 15 years | 53,406 miles |
| 16 years | 56,254 miles |
| 17 years | 61,498 miles |
| 18 years | 66,436 miles |
| 19 years | 68,670 miles |
Check a particular Continental
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Bentley models
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.