BMW 420I MOT reliability

BMW 420Is passed their MOT first time 89% of the time across 7,011 tests in 2025.

First-time pass rate

89%

MOTs analysed

7,011

Still licensed (GB)

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Body type

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Pass rate by year of first registration

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of the same age. Years with very few MOTs can show extreme pass rates, even 0% or 100%, so give more weight to years with more tests.

In detail:

First registered

2021 petrol

3,061 MOTs

Passed first time 89%. Typical mileage 29,159 (most between 21,163 and 38,964).

2022: 100% → 2023: 95% → 2024: 88% → 2025: 89%

Most common failures

Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.4%)
Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (2.1%)
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (1.4%)
Condition: has ply or cords exposed (1.3%)
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid (0.5%)

Where 2021 420Is fail

Wheels & tyres

7.7%

Lights & electrics

1.7%

Visibility & wipers

1.3%

Brakes

0.6%

Suspension & axles

0.4%

Seat belts & other equipment

0.2%

Body, structure & corrosion

0.1%

Steering

0.1%

Looking at a particular car?

See its own MOT history, mileage and red flags, compared with these figures. Free.

Based on 2025 initial MOT tests in DVSA's anonymised MOT dataset (cars and light vans). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Model details: Vehicle data by VehiclesDB.