87.8%
BMW M4
BMW M4 MOT pass rate and common problems
The BMW M4 passed 87.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 15.5 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was condition has ply or cords exposed.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the M4 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
79.3%
BMW average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The M4 runs 8.4 points ahead of the BMW average. It is 4th of the 28 BMW models in the data. The average M4 arrived at its test 7 years old with 42,256 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
M4 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
BMW M4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.3% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 84.3%, a drop of 6.1 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 3,590 | 90.3% | 18 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 8,715 | 86.2% | 13.9 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 273 | 84.3% | 12 pts above |
That is a typical decline as cars age. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where M4 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on BMW M4 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and suspension together account for 66.5% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common M4 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on BMW M4 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 72.7% of everything testers recorded against failed BMW M4 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a M4
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has ply or cords exposed, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 42.3% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken and ball joint excessively worn. 18.6% of failure items.
3
Identification of the vehicle
Recorded most often: registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements. 5.1% of failure items.
4
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim too high and headlamp aim too low. 4.6% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific M4 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used BMW M4 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
BMW M4 MOT FAQs
What is the BMW M4 MOT pass rate?
87.8% of BMW M4 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 13,620 tests. That is 15.5 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 77th of 575 models.
What does a BMW M4 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on BMW M4 cars failing their 2025 MOT was condition has ply or cords exposed, on 21.9% of failure items. Next were 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%).
Which area causes the most BMW M4 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 46.6%, followed by suspension at 19.8%.
Do older BMW M4 cars fail their MOT more often?
BMW M4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.3% of MOT tests in 2025, against 84.3% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every BMW M4 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every BMW M4 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific BMW M4's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.