BMW X6, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
15,674 BMW X6s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 83.2% of initial MOT tests, 10.9 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific X6? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
BMW X6 at the MOT
83.2% of 15,752 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the X6 155th of 575 models. BMW X6s aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 77.3%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
BMW X6 tests in 2025.
Where X6s fail
Share of all failure items recorded on BMW X6 tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (8.9%), condition has ply or cords exposed (8.7%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.6%).
The MOT page lists every common X6 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The X6'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.27.5% of X6 failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.18.1% of X6 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.16.6% of X6 failure items
BMW X6s in the UK
15,674 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 87% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- +87%from 8,386 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2017half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2017 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 480against 2,180 in 2018
- Declared off the road
- 1,4828.6% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed BMW X6s since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 8,386 |
| End of 2015 | 9,332 |
| End of 2016 | 11,378 |
| End of 2017 | 12,399 |
| End of 2018 | 14,050 |
| End of 2019 | 14,395 |
| End of 2020 | 14,775 |
| End of 2021 | 15,421 |
| End of 2022 | 15,954 |
| End of 2023 | 16,142 |
| End of 2024 | 15,985 |
| End of 2025 | 15,920 |
| End of June 2026 | 15,674 |
How old they are
Licensed BMW X6s by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 500 | 480 |
| 2024 | 550 | 543 |
| 2023 | 770 | 749 |
| 2022 | 910 | 943 |
| 2021 | 923 | 898 |
| 2020 | 985 | 1,111 |
| 2019 | 588 | 697 |
| 2018 | 1,971 | 2,180 |
| 2017 | 1,301 | 1,465 |
| 2016 | 1,688 | 2,063 |
| 2015 | 1,168 | 1,534 |
| 2014 | 1,204 | |
| 2013 | 1,033 | |
| 2012 | 895 | |
| 2011 | 572 | |
| 2010 | 557 | |
| 2009 | 631 | |
| 2008 | 277 |
1,168 X6s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 76% of the 1,534 first registered that year.
X6 engines and fuel
3.0 litre engines made up 96% of BMW X6 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 4.4 litre at 4%. Diesel accounts for 75% of licensed X6s and hybrid electric for 22%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 15,739 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed X6s
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 587 | 4% |
| Diesel | 11,692 | 75% |
| Hybrid electric | 3,395 | 22% |
BMW X6 recalls
28 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW X6. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every X6 is affected.
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Dec 2025 R/2025/349
Takata Driver and/or Passenger Airbag Recall (Global VINs)
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.
-
Oct 2024 R/2024/403
Check Driver's Airbag for Conversion Takata SDI & PSDI-5
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Affected vehicles may have had a retrofit or conversion of the airbag using a previously recalled airbag variant which if deployed may do so with excessive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released this may cause serious injury possibly fatal to people in the vicinity. The original factory fitment airbag for the vehicle is not affected.
- Remedy
- Vehicles will have the airbag checked and if necessary replaced.
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Sep 2024 R/2024/383
Integrated Braking System
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On certain vehicles the Integrated Brake (IB) system may be impaired due to contamination between electrical contacts.
- Remedy
- Vehicles that may be affected by contamination are required to have the vehicle's software updated which can detect signal interference before it occurs. If symptoms are detected you should refrain from use of the vehicle and the affected Integrated Brake (IB) system component will be replaced.
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May 2024 R/2024/262
Seat Belt Warning (Front Seat Belts)
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the hall sensor in the driver and passenger front seat belt stalks may not have been correctly installed and it may indicate the seat belt is inserted correctly when it actually is not.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles the seat belt stalks will be tested and replaced if necessary.
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Mar 2024 R/2024/119
Integrated Braking System
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles an unexpected loss of hydraulic brake assistance may occur and may result in a different pedal behaviour under specific conditions an extended braking distance may be experienced and ABS/Stability control may be impaired
- Remedy
- On the affected vehicles the Integrated Brake System will be replaced
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Oct 2023 R/2024/156
Checking potential vehicle damage
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles risk of potential flooding could have occurred leading to salt water ingress whilst parked in port awaiting shipping
- Remedy
- The affected vehicles will be thoroughly checked cleaned and reworked as required
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Aug 2023 R/2023/224
The driver and front passenger airbags may deploy with too much explosive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released into the cabin
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Replace the driver and front passenger airbags.
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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
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.
Other BMW models
The most-tested BMW models in 2025, against the X6's 83.2% MOT pass rate.
BMW X6 FAQs
How many BMW X6s are there in the UK?
15,674 BMW X6s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,482 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the BMW X6 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 83.2% first-time pass rate for the BMW X6 across 15,752 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the BMW X6 had any recalls?
28 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW X6. 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 X6?
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 X6'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 X6?
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.