13,521 tests in 2025
Bentley Continental reliability and MOT pass rate
92.9% passed first time. The 7.1% fail rate is 15.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 14 years old with 41,015 miles.
Pass rate
92.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 7.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
41,015 mi
14 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1,352 | 3.2% |
| 6-9 years | 2,632 | 4.2% |
| 10-13 years | 2,747 | 6% |
| 14+ years | 6,773 | 9.5% |
What the Continental fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Tyres281 dangerous33.4%
- Noise, emissions and leaks23%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment6 dangerous22.8%
- Brakes60 dangerous20.4%
- Suspension11 dangerous13.5%
- Visibility1 dangerous9.6%
- Body, chassis, structure5 dangerous7.6%
- Identification of the vehicle4.8%
Is the Continental getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.7 points to 7.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 14,026 | — | 8.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 13,940 | — | 7.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 11,466 | — | 7.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 12,227 | — | 7.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Continental at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Continental in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction146 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords97 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn71 tests
- 4Condition: has ply or cords exposed69 tests
- 5Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure61 tests
- 6Electronic stability control: warning lamp indicates a fault42 tests
- 7Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure41 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm38 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Continental collects 2.11 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure673 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm638 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened547 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn341 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick313 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords245 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure166 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre120 tests
Questions
What is the Bentley Continental MOT pass rate?
92.9% of the 13,521 Bentley Continental first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 7.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Bentley Continental usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction", recorded on 146 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn". By section, tyres appears in 33.4% of failures, noise, emissions and leaks appears in 23% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 22.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 3.2%; at 14+ years it was 9.5%. The median Bentley Continental tested in 2025 was 14 years old with 41,015 miles.
Is the Bentley Continental getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.7 points to 7.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Continental trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 3 safety recalls naming the Bentley Continental: Bentley Continental recalls.
Other Bentley models
Checking a particular Continental?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.