6,435 tests in 2025
BMW I4 reliability and MOT pass rate
85.7% passed first time. The 14.3% fail rate is 8.3 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 3 years old with 31,442 miles.
Pass rate
85.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 14.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
31,442 mi
3 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 6,067 | 14.6% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the I4 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.
- Tyres746 dangerous85.8%
- Visibility9.2%
- Identification of the vehicle3.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment3.3%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.8%
- Brakes1.5%
- Road Wheels3 dangerous1%
- Steering1%
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a I4 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has ply or cords exposed339 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords325 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm90 tests
- 4Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure64 tests
- 5Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively45 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure33 tests
- 7Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements31 tests
- 8Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid25 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical I4 collects 1.86 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,275 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords263 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm253 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre166 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure164 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt135 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure118 tests
- 8Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened37 tests
Questions
What is the BMW I4 MOT pass rate?
85.7% of the 6,435 BMW I4 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 14.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a BMW I4 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has ply or cords exposed", recorded on 339 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 85.8% of failures, visibility appears in 9.2% of failures, identification of the vehicle appears in 3.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 14.6%; at 3-5 years it was 14.6%. The median BMW I4 tested in 2025 was 3 years old with 31,442 miles.
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 I4 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 7 safety recalls naming the BMW I4: BMW I4 recalls.
Other BMW models
Checking a particular I4?
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.