BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 46 model years and 107,963 tests, the BMW 7 Series passes its MOT 86.6% of the time. That is 3.5 percentage points better than executive cars of a similar age, which fail at 16.9%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst 7 Series years
Ranked across 7 Series 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
Not every year is equal — 95.0% of 2022 examples pass against 78.4% of 2002 ones.
No single area dominates — suspension (5.1%) and tyres (4.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are pins and bushes, tread depth and ball joint — pins and bushes alone was recorded 2,362 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 17.4% once past 150k — 2.5× the risk.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 9.6pp more often than hybrid ones (16.9% vs 7.3%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 19.5% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 15.4% in 2021 to 11.7% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
Versions & engines
MOT records broken out by the engine designations buyers actually search for.
By model year
Every 7 Series model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 38 | 92.1% | 7.9% | Visibility |
| 1985 | 83 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 105 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 83 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 259 | 80.7% | 19.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 261 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 280 | 83.2% | 16.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 161 | 77.0% | 23.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 127 | 84.3% | 15.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 166 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 239 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 571 | 78.5% | 21.5% | Suspension |
| 1996 | 1,036 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 1,375 | 79.0% | 20.9% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 1,686 | 79.1% | 20.9% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 1,737 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Suspension |
| 2000 | 2,070 | 79.2% | 20.8% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 2,052 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 1,145 | 78.4% | 21.6% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 2,163 | 79.0% | 21.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 2,107 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 3,508 | 79.6% | 20.4% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 5,651 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 3,695 | 82.0% | 18.0% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 3,995 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 3,171 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 4,013 | 85.7% | 14.3% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 5,178 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 5,118 | 86.0% | 14.0% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 4,447 | 84.9% | 15.1% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 5,326 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 4,229 | 88.3% | 11.8% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 8,471 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 9,422 | 91.7% | 8.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 8,856 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 7,702 | 93.1% | 6.9% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 3,340 | 94.1% | 5.9% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 2,644 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 1,184 | 95.0% | 5.0% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 87 | 97.7% | 2.3% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 92 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 5.1% | 5,476 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.8% | 5,212 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 4.0% | 4,321 |
| 4 | Brakes | 3.1% | 3,381 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.5% | 2,674 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.6% | 1,697 |
| 7 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.4% | 1,456 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 1.0% | 1,127 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pins and bushes | 2,362 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 2,238 |
| 3 | Ball joint | 2,115 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 1,911 |
| 5 | Coil spring | 1,788 |
| 6 | Washers | 1,756 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 1,321 |
| 8 | Rbt (sp) | 1,160 |
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 | 19.5% | 21,010 |
| 2 | Brakes | 14.8% | 15,979 |
| 3 | Suspension | 13.2% | 14,245 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 10.0% | 10,843 |
| 5 | Other defects | 5.9% | 6,416 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.2% | 4,484 |
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 | 11,332 | 7.0% |
| 30-60k | 22,546 | 9.0% |
| 60-90k | 21,461 | 12.4% |
| 90-120k | 19,843 | 15.7% |
| 120-150k | 15,823 | 17.6% |
| 150k+ | 16,179 | 17.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 74,607 | 12.7% |
| Petrol | 26,731 | 16.9% |
| Hybrid | 6,605 | 7.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21,850 | 15.4% |
| 2022 | 22,333 | 13.9% |
| 2023 | 21,967 | 13.3% |
| 2024 | 21,320 | 12.5% |
| 2025 | 20,493 | 11.7% |
What to check before buying a BMW 7 Series
- Suspension (5.1% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Tyres (4.8% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (4.0% 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 BMW 7 Series?
86.6% of the 107,963 BMW 7 Series MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 13.4% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the BMW 7 Series most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 5.1% of tests, then tyres (4.8%).
Which 7 Series years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 95.0% and 2002 the weakest at 78.4%, from 1,184 and 1,145 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect 7 Series MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 17.4% for 150k+, a 10.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol 7 Series more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 7.3% of the time against 16.9% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 107,963 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.