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BMW M4, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

15,258 BMW M4s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 87.8% of initial MOT tests, 15.5 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific M4? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

BMW M4 at the MOT

87.8% of 13,620 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the M4 77th of 575 models. BMW M4s aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 84.3%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • BMW M487.8%
  • All BMW modelsThe M4 is 8.5 pts ahead79.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

BMW M4 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years3,590 tests90.3%
  • 6 to 10 years8,715 tests86.2%
  • 11 years and over273 tests84.3%

Where M4s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on BMW M4 tests in 2025.

  • Tyres46.6%
  • Suspension19.8%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment8.8%
  • Brakes5.7%
  • Identification of the vehicle5.7%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has ply or cords exposed (21.9%), coil spring fractured or broken (15.6%) and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (10.1%).

The MOT page lists every common M4 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full BMW M4 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The M4'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.46.6% of M4 failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19.8% of M4 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.8.8% of M4 failure items

BMW M4s in the UK

15,258 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 342% since the end of 2015.

Change since 2015
+342%from 3,454 licensed
First registered in 2025
687against 2,421 in 2018
Declared off the road
1,0596.5% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed BMW M4s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20141,192
End of 20153,454
End of 20165,398
End of 20177,194
End of 20189,270
End of 201910,684
End of 202011,632
End of 202112,191
End of 202213,451
End of 202314,049
End of 202414,437
End of 202514,773
End of June 202615,258

M4 engine sizes

3.0 litre engines made up 99% of BMW M4 MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed M4s.

BMW M4 recalls

9 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW M4. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every M4 is affected.

  1. Dec 2025 R/2025/349

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

    M4s built Feb 2014 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. Mar 2023 R/2023/071

    On certain vehicles the Body Domain Controller (BDC) control unit may have an incorrect setting applied to it

    M4s built Jul 2022 · 538 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Conduct a check of the settings and if necessary perform a reset on the BDC control unit.

  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

    M4s built Dec 2013 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. Feb 2021 R/2021/054

    The integrated brake system hydraulic unit may have been produced incorrectly

    M4s built Nov 2020 · 139 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the Integrated Brake system hydraulic unit.

  5. Dec 2020 R/2020/352

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

    M4s built Mar 2020 to Jun 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.

  6. Jan 2019 R/2019/012

    The cfk drive shaft 3 hole flange with a pushing piece is not produced with sufficient long term durability

    M4s built Mar 2016 to Sep 2016 · 973 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The flange of the propshaft may become detached.
    Remedy
    Replace the propshaft with a alternative construction.

  7. Sep 2017 R/2017/244

    Front seat fixing mechanism may be insecure

    M4s built Jul 2017 · 50 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to a fault in the supplier's production process the bolt on the outer side of the seat mechanism on both front seats might not have been fixed properly. In cases where the bolt loosens the customer would be alerted by noise coming from the seat and a noticeable increase in seat clearance/movement. If this is ignored by the customer the securing bolt on the outer side of the seat might come off. If the securing bolt comes off the seat can move backwards in a rear end crash situation.
    Remedy
    The bolt on the seat mechanism will be checked for excessive clearance and if necessary replaced.

  8. Jan 2017 R/2017/011

    Airbags may not deploy

    M4s built Aug 2016 to Nov 2016 · 668 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The igniter for the certain airbag modules may not have been correctly manufactured which may affect air bag deployment in the event of a collision.
    Remedy
    Where necessary replace affected airbag modules.
How to check a specific M4 for recalls

Other BMW models

The most-tested BMW models in 2025, against the M4's 87.8% MOT pass rate.

All 28 BMW models

BMW M4 FAQs

How many BMW M4s are there in the UK?

15,258 BMW M4s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,059 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the BMW M4 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 87.8% first-time pass rate for the BMW M4 across 13,620 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the BMW M4 had any recalls?

9 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW M4. 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 M4?

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 M4'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 M4?

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.