BMW Alpina MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the BMW Alpina took 1,483 MOT tests in Britain and passed 81% 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: 1,483
First-time pass rate: 81%
All cars: 71%

What the Alpina fails on

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

Suspension6.1% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres5.6% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics5.5% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes4.7% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility2.6% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions1.0% (all cars 3.1%)
Seat belts and airbags1.0% (all cars 1.0%)
Steering0.6% (all cars 1.8%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 2.4%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.4%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 1.3%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.1%
Position lamp: not working 1.1%
Headlamp aim: too low 1.0%
Headlamp aim: too high 1.0%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 11.0%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.7%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.9%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 4.9%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 4.1%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.8%
Brake pads: wearing thin 3.6%
Coil spring: corroded 3.5%

Check a particular Alpina

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.