83.6%
BMW 4 Series pass rate
Used BMW 4 Series buying guide
In 2025, BMW 4 Series cars passed 83.6% of 111,945 initial MOT tests, 11.3 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific 4 Series? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
BMW 4 Series MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+11.3
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the 4 Series sits 148th of 575 models in the data. BMW as a brand averaged 79.3%, so this model runs 4.2 points ahead of its own brand. BMW 4 Series cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 77%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full BMW 4 Series MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the 4 Series compares with similar cars.
4 Series fuel types
Diesel made up 55.8% of BMW 4 Series MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. The rest ran on other fuels, so tested examples were a genuine mix.
Where the 4 Series fails its MOT
Where BMW 4 Series cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were condition has ply or cords exposed (9.7%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (9.3%) and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (8.7%). See every common 4 Series MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every BMW 4 Series that failed, not a claim that every 4 Series has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used 4 Series?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 40% of 4 Series failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 15.9% of 4 Series failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 12.3% of 4 Series failure items.
4
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 11.5% of 4 Series failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 7.9% of 4 Series failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing BMW 4 Series failures cluster around tyres and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact 4 Series you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the BMW history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used BMW models
The most-tested BMW models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the 4 Series.
Used BMW 4 Series FAQs
Is the BMW 4 Series reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 83.6% first-time pass rate for the BMW 4 Series across 111,945 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older BMW 4 Series cars fail their MOT more often?
BMW 4 Series cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 77%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used BMW 4 Series?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a BMW 4 Series's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.