BMW 840: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 840 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 701 individual BMW 840 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 82.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 BMW 840s 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 840 tested had covered 106,831 miles and was built around 1997.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a BMW 840 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 840 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 840s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 840

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 1.5% of tests (5.22x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 1.1% of tests (4.92x the national rate for this defect)
3. Warning device shows system malfunction, 1.5% of tests (4.79x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.4% of tests (3.25x the national rate for this defect)
5. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 0.8% of tests (2.54x the national rate for this defect)
6. Emissions test unable to be completed, 0.8% of tests (2.5x the national rate for this defect)
7. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.1% of tests (2.31x the national rate for this defect)
8. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.5% of tests (1.65x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.7% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.8% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this defect)

From 2,034 DVSA-tracked BMW 840 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 1.82% of these flagged BMW 840 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Other BMW models

• BMW 3 Series - 76.8%
• BMW 118 - 81.9%
• BMW 116 - 78.6%
• BMW X1 - 85.2%
• BMW X3 - 82.3%
• BMW X5 - 81.2%
• BMW 1 Series - 81.6%
• BMW 520 - 80.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Land Rover Discovery Sport S D 4x2 - 82.3%
• BMW 330e M Sport Pro Edition Auto - 82.2%
• Ford Transit Custom 320leader Eblue - 82.2%
• Honda Odyssey - 82.2%
• SEAT Mii - 82.1%
• Jeep Compass - 82.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate