BMW 420D MOT reliability

BMW 420Ds passed their MOT first time 87% of the time across 2,759 tests in 2025.

First-time pass rate

87%

MOTs analysed

2,759

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

2020 ed

134 MOTs

Passed first time 85%. Typical mileage 39,980 (most between 28,907 and 52,416).

2022: 100% → 2023: 92% → 2024: 95% → 2025: 85%

Most common failures

Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (3.7%)
Condition: has ply or cords exposed (3.0%)
Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.2%)
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction (1.5%)
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (1.5%)

2020 hybrid

2 MOTs

These figures come from only 2 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.

Passed first time 100%. Typical mileage 16,209 (most between 13,203 and 19,216).

2024: 100% → 2025: 100%

2020 diesel

1 MOT

These figures come from only 1 MOT test. 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.

Passed first time 100%. Typical mileage 56,171 (most between 56,171 and 56,171).

2024: 100% → 2025: 100%

Where 2020 420Ds fail

Wheels & tyres

10.4%

Brakes

1.5%

Exhaust, emissions & leaks

1.5%

Body, structure & corrosion

0.7%

Lights & electrics

0.7%

Suspension & axles

0.7%

Visibility & wipers

0.7%

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.