BMW i4, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
43,668 BMW i4s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 84% of initial MOT tests, 11.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific i4? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
BMW i4 at the MOT
84% of 6,958 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the i4 139th of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where i4s fail
Share of all failure items recorded on BMW i4 tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were condition has ply or cords exposed (30.2%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (24.6%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (8.1%).
The MOT page lists every common i4 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The i4's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.73.1% of i4 failure items
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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.11.1% of i4 failure items
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Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.8.2% of i4 failure items
BMW i4s in the UK
43,668 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 183% since the end of 2023.
- Change since 2023
- +183%from 15,445 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2024half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2024 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 12,164against 12,959 in 2024
- Declared off the road
- 2160.5% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed BMW i4s since 2021
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2021 | 94 |
| End of 2022 | 6,591 |
| End of 2023 | 15,445 |
| End of 2024 | 28,112 |
| End of 2025 | 39,488 |
| End of June 2026 | 43,668 |
How old they are
Licensed BMW i4s by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 91 were first used before 2022.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11,883 | 12,164 |
| 2024 | 12,749 | 12,959 |
| 2023 | 8,655 | 8,938 |
| 2022 | 6,106 | 6,694 |
BMW i4 recalls
7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW i4. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every i4 is affected.
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Jul 2025 R/2025/274
Replacing the Cell Module of the High-Voltage Battery
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the battery module frame may have been manufactured using too much force. In conjunction with swelling force of the battery this could lead to failure and a possible thermal event within the vehicles life time.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles the modules will be replaced.
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Jun 2024 R/2024/258
Longitudinal Chassis Beam
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles during production excessive force may have been applied to the rear left hand side chassis longitudinal beam which could lead to it cracking and affecting its structural strength.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles the rear left hand side chassis longitudinal beam will be checked and if necessary replaced.
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Feb 2024 R/2024/211
Replace cell module in high-voltage battery
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles if faulty cell modules have been installed then a malfunction may occur in the high voltage battery
- Remedy
- On the affected vehicles the faulty cell modules in the High Voltage battery will be replaced
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Aug 2023 R/2023/235
On affected vehicles due to a supplier component production process error a damaged Combined Charging Unit may have been installed
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Replace the Combined Charging Unit.
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May 2023 R/2023/133
A cable bridge connection connecting two circuit boards within the cell supervision circuit (CSC) might not have been installed properly
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- On the affected vehicles the cell supervision circuit (CSC) inside the high-voltage battery will be replaced.
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Oct 2022 R/2022/330
During the supplier s production process of the battery cells a manufacturing defect occurred. During assembly of the cell the cathode plate may have been damaged and a broken piece may have entered the interior of the cell
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- During assembly of the HV Battery cell the cathode plate may have been damaged and a broken piece may have entered the interior of the cell. BMW strongly recommends refraining from charging the high-voltage battery and to not use the vehicles until the repair is performed. BMW also recommends parking the vehicle outdoors and not in the immediate vicinity of buildings.
- Remedy
- On the affected vehicles the defective cell modules of the high-voltage battery will be replaced.
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Jan 2022 R/2022/020
Crash pads may not have been installed on the high voltage battery during vehicle assembly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Crash pads may not have been installed on the high-voltage battery during vehicle assembly.
- Remedy
- Vehicles will be inspected and if necessary the crash pads will be retrofitted.
Other BMW models
The most-tested BMW models in 2025, against the i4's 84% MOT pass rate.
BMW i4 FAQs
How many BMW i4s are there in the UK?
43,668 BMW i4s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 216 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the BMW i4 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 84% first-time pass rate for the BMW i4 across 6,958 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the BMW i4 had any recalls?
7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW i4. The most recent was published in July 2025. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used BMW i4?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and visibility. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a BMW i4'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.
Already found an i4?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the BMW history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the BMW VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded). Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.