BMW California MOT reliability

BMW Californias passed their MOT first time 33% of the time across 3 tests in 2025.

These figures come from only 3 MOT tests. With so few cars, a single pass or fail changes the percentages a lot, so treat them as a rough guide rather than a true average.

First-time pass rate

33%

MOTs analysed

3

Still licensed (GB)

–

Body type

–

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

1997 petrol

3 MOTs

Passed first time 33%. Typical mileage 108,466 (most between 108,432 and 108,467).

2017: 100% → 2018: 100% → 2019: 100% → 2021: 0% → 2022: 100% → 2023: 50% → 2024: 0% → 2025: 33%

Most common failures

Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements (66.7%)
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively (66.7%)
Position lamp: not working (66.7%)
Rear fog lamp: not working (66.7%)
Headlamp: not working on main beam (66.7%)

Where 1997 Californias fail

Lights & electrics

66.7%

Visibility & wipers

66.7%

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.