BMW 7 Series: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 7 Series passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 11 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 3,759 individual BMW 7 Series tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate87.7%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+11 points
Tests analysed3,759
Average mileage at test75,735 miles
Average year of manufacture2016
Reliability rank1,027 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 87.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 12 in every 100 BMW 7 Series presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average BMW 7 Series tested had covered 75,735 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a BMW 7 Series bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific BMW 7 Series rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged BMW 7 Series actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 7 Series

  1. Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel, 1% of tests (20.88x the national rate for this defect)
  2. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud, 0.4% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this defect)
  3. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.2% of tests
  4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.7% of tests
  5. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 0.9% of tests
  6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 0.8% of tests
  7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 0.8% of tests
  8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 0.4% of tests
  9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.4% of tests
  10. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 0.4% of tests

From 7,993 DVSA-tracked BMW 7 Series tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 8.06% of these flagged BMW 7 Series defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

BMW 7 Series pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each BMW 7 Series year:

BMW 7 Series by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

Other BMW models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate