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BMW M2, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

9,947 BMW M2s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 88.5% of initial MOT tests, 16.2 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific M2? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

BMW M2 at the MOT

88.5% of 3,837 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the M2 60th of 575 models. BMW M2s aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.6% of MOT tests in 2025; examples aged 6 to 10 years held almost level at 88.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • BMW M288.5%
  • All BMW modelsThe M2 is 9.2 pts ahead79.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

BMW M2 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years404 tests88.6%
  • 6 to 10 years3,415 tests88.4%

Where M2s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on BMW M2 tests in 2025.

  • Tyres29.4%
  • Suspension27.2%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.3%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks11.5%
  • Brakes6.1%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (21.8%), condition has ply or cords exposed (14.1%) and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (6.6%).

The MOT page lists every common M2 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full BMW M2 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The M2's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.29.4% of M2 failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.27.2% of M2 failure items

  3. 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.15.3% of M2 failure items

BMW M2s in the UK

9,947 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 165% since the end of 2018.

Change since 2018
+165%from 3,758 licensed
First registered in 2025
896against 1,963 in 2018
Declared off the road
3253.2% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed BMW M2s since 2016

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2016738
End of 20171,899
End of 20183,758
End of 20195,147
End of 20206,566
End of 20216,447
End of 20226,357
End of 20236,956
End of 20248,361
End of 20259,051
End of June 20269,947

M2 engine sizes

3.0 litre engines made up 99% of BMW M2 MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed M2s.

BMW M2 recalls

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW M2. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every M2 is affected.

  1. Dec 2025 R/2025/349

    Takata Driver and/or Passenger Airbag Recall (Global VINs)

    M2s built May 2015 to Jun 2017 · 71,635 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles are already included in Safety Recalls within the markets they have previously resided in. The vehicles may be fitted with a driver and/or passenger airbag/s which if deployed may do so with excessive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released this may cause serious injury which could prove fatal to people in the vicinity.
    Remedy
    Vehicles will have the affected airbags checked and if necessary replaced.

  2. Sep 2024 R/2024/428

    Replace the Passenger Airbag

    M2s built Jul 2024 · 33 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles the passenger airbag may not have had the seam sewn according to the specifications.
    Remedy
    Replacement of the passenger airbag

  3. Jan 2023 R/2023/016

    A possible degradation of the propellant tablets could lead to an over-aggressive combustion in the event the airbag is activated which may cause the inflator body to rupture

    M2s built Dec 2015 to Jun 2017 · 333,284 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A possible degradation of airbag propellant tablets could lead to an over-aggressive combustion in the event the airbag is activated which may cause the inflator body to rupture.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the drivers airbag module will be replaced.

  4. Dec 2020 R/2020/352

    The damping elements may be missing from some injectors which could affect fuel lines and lead to leaks

    M2s built Jul 2020 to Aug 2020 · 24 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the damping elements may be missing from some injectors which could affect fuel lines and lead to leaks.
    Remedy
    Check and install/replace damping elements. Replace high pressure fuel rail if necessary.
How to check a specific M2 for recalls

Other BMW models

The most-tested BMW models in 2025, against the M2's 88.5% MOT pass rate.

All 28 BMW models

BMW M2 FAQs

How many BMW M2s are there in the UK?

9,947 BMW M2s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 325 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the BMW M2 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 88.5% first-time pass rate for the BMW M2 across 3,837 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the BMW M2 had any recalls?

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW M2. The most recent was published in December 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 M2?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. 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 M2'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 M2?

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), which also gives the engine sizes. 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.