BMW Alpina: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW Alpina passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 9.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,552 individual BMW Alpina tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 85.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 14 in every 100 BMW Alpinas 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 Alpina tested had covered 92,461 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

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

Most common MOT failures on a BMW Alpina

1. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.2% of tests (1.76x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.5% of tests
4. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.2% of tests
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1% of tests
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1% of tests
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 0.8% of tests
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 0.8% of tests
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.6% of tests
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 0.6% of tests

From 3,094 DVSA-tracked BMW Alpina tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.97% of these flagged BMW Alpina defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

BMW Alpina by fuel type

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

• Diesel BMW Alpina - 85.3% first-time pass, 776 tests
• Petrol BMW Alpina - 87.6% first-time pass, 764 tests

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

• Renault Trafic Ll30 Sport Energy Dci - 85.9%
• BMW 6 Series - 85.8%
• Fiat Fullback - 85.8%
• Fiat 500e La Prima - 85.8%
• Skoda Superb Se L Iv Phev S-A - 85.8%
• Volkswagen Transporter T32 Se Tdi Bmt S-A - 85.8%

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