BMW 4 Series MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the BMW 4 Series took 99,850 MOT tests in Britain and passed 85% 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: 99,850
First-time pass rate: 85%
All cars: 71%

What the 4 Series fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Tyres8.3% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics2.8% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes2.2% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility1.8% (all cars 4.8%)
Suspension1.4% (all cars 9.0%)
Wheels0.8% (all cars 0.4%)
Number plates and VIN0.5% (all cars 0.4%)
Exhaust and emissions0.5% (all cars 3.1%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.2%
Tyres, condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure 2.0%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.0%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.9%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.1%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.0%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 0.8%
Headlamp aim: too high 0.6%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 18.5%
Brake pads: wearing thin 7.6%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.6%
Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s) 2.8%
Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 2.1%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 1.9%
Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.9%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 1.9%

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
2013	1,601	80%
2014	12,767	80%
2015	18,426	83%
2016	18,705	84%
2017	17,536	86%
2018	15,867	87%
2019	10,723	86%
2020	4,193	89%

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	24,028 miles
4 years	33,715 miles
5 years	41,896 miles
6 years	53,593 miles
7 years	64,918 miles
8 years	72,803 miles
9 years	78,033 miles
10 years	85,285 miles

Check a particular 4 Series

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other BMW 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.