Bentley Continental MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 39 model years and 59,431 tests, the Bentley Continental passes its MOT 92.0% of the time. Against coupes & convertibles of a similar age (18.9% fail rate), the Continental comes out 10.9pp better. Its most common failure areas are tyres, emissions & environmental and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Continental years
Ranked across Continental years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2015 (95.7% pass rate); the weakest is 2004 (88.8%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — tyres (2.6%) and emissions & environmental (2.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are malfunction indicator lamp, catalyst emissions and headlamp aim — malfunction indicator lamp alone was recorded 1,066 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 4.5% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 17.3% once past 150k — 3.8× the risk.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 12.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Continental model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 53 | 96.2% | 3.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 95 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Brakes |
| 1992 | 126 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 166 | 87.4% | 12.7% | Suspension |
| 1994 | 203 | 84.7% | 15.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 172 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 233 | 87.5% | 12.4% | Brakes |
| 1997 | 329 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 213 | 93.4% | 6.6% | Brakes |
| 1999 | 138 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Brakes |
| 2000 | 103 | 94.2% | 5.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 87 | 95.4% | 4.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 69 | 97.1% | 2.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 77 | 90.9% | 9.1% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 6,137 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2005 | 6,501 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2006 | 6,117 | 89.9% | 10.1% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2007 | 7,313 | 92.0% | 8.0% | Tyres |
| 2008 | 4,808 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Tyres |
| 2009 | 2,243 | 93.0% | 7.0% | Tyres |
| 2010 | 2,907 | 92.0% | 8.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 2,985 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 3,907 | 93.3% | 6.7% | Tyres |
| 2013 | 3,803 | 93.9% | 6.1% | Tyres |
| 2014 | 3,971 | 94.9% | 5.1% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 4,041 | 95.7% | 4.3% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 1,904 | 95.3% | 4.7% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 402 | 97.8% | 2.2% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 212 | 95.3% | 4.7% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 2.6% | 1,551 |
| 2 | Emissions & environmental | 2.5% | 1,502 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 2.5% | 1,486 |
| 4 | Brakes | 1.9% | 1,146 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.1% | 632 |
| 6 | Visibility | 0.9% | 560 |
| 7 | Other defects | 0.6% | 364 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.5% | 329 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 1,066 |
| 2 | Catalyst emissions | 661 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 618 |
| 4 | Registration plates | 595 |
| 5 | Pins and bushes | 569 |
| 6 | Washers | 427 |
| 7 | Service brake performance | 294 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 276 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 12.5% | 7,409 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.1% | 5,412 |
| 3 | Suspension | 4.5% | 2,694 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 2.7% | 1,610 |
| 5 | Other defects | 1.9% | 1,108 |
| 6 | Visibility | 1.5% | 863 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 14,468 | 4.5% |
| 30-60k | 25,007 | 7.3% |
| 60-90k | 14,555 | 10.7% |
| 90-120k | 4,194 | 12.4% |
| 120-150k | 890 | 14.8% |
| 150k+ | 283 | 17.3% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,472 | 7.8% |
| 2022 | 12,275 | 8.5% |
| 2023 | 11,975 | 7.8% |
| 2024 | 11,497 | 8.1% |
| 2025 | 11,212 | 7.8% |
What to check before buying a Bentley Continental
- Tyres (2.6% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Emissions & environmental (2.5% of tests): More common on older diesels (DPF/EGR) — can be expensive; check for warning lights and smoke. Typical repair: £100–£600.
- Lighting & signalling (2.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Bentley Continental?
92.0% of the 59,431 Bentley Continental MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 8.0% fail rate, across model years 1984–2022.
What does the Bentley Continental most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 2.6% of tests, then emissions & environmental (2.5%).
Which Continental years are best and worst for MOT results?
2015 has the best pass rate at 95.7% and 2004 the weakest at 88.8%, from 4,041 and 6,137 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Continental MOT results?
Fail rates run at 4.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 17.3% for 150k+, a 12.8-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 59,431 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.