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2008 Bentley Arnage MOT pass rate

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Pass rate

91.7%

Above average — 18.6 pts ahead of the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 169 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £29–£71

Which year to buy

  • Best 2009 94.9% pass
  • Avoid 2001 87.0% pass

Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 7.9 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
91.1%
Typical mileage
46k mi

The 2008 Bentley Arnage MOT pass rate is 91.7% of its MOT tests — 18.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.1% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2008 Bentley Arnage on the real record

91.7% of 2008 Bentley Arnage MOTs passed — 169 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Steering: 4.0× the national share

Steering accounts for 10.3% of everything recorded on the 2008 Bentley Arnage, against 2.6% nationally — 7.7 points above. Tyres are still the single largest share at 24.1%, but at 19.8% nationally that one is ordinary. Ask for the steering to be checked for play with the wheels on the ground, not on a jack.

Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out

Watching a Bentley Arnage? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2008 Bentley Arnage compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 18.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 91.1%. The median 2008 Bentley Arnage in this dataset had covered 45,918 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 89.0% of the time, April–September 94.3%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 1.18% of tests.

  • 169 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 91.7% overall pass rate, 91.1% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Bentley Arnage, the average is 89.5% — best year 2009 (94.9%), worst 2001 (87.0%).

Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.

This page's data

Tests analysed
169
Typical mileage (median)
45,918 mi
Make and model
Bentley Arnage
Updated
2026-11-07

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Ball Joint

Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.

Does mileage affect the Arnage MOT pass rate?

0-30k 92.9%
30-60k 94.7%
60-90k 87.2%
90-120k 75.0%
120k+ 100.0%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.

Where the Bentley Arnage is most common

Across all Arnage model years on record (2000–2009): 1,968 Bentley Arnage cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,803 tests. London (W) has the most, with 85 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

# Postcode area Cars Share of all Tests Pass rate
1 London (W) 85 4.3% 167 87.4%
2 Birmingham (B) 63 3.2% 120 92.5%
3 Crawley (RH) 52 2.6% 107 90.7%
4 Ashford (TN) 48 2.4% 89 91.0%
5 Guildford (GU) 44 2.2% 80 88.8%
6 Chelmsford (CM) 43 2.2% 71 93.0%
7 Reading (RG) 42 2.1% 73 86.3%
8 Nottingham (NG) 39 2% 87 90.8%
9 Worcester (WR) 39 2% 79 89.9%
10 Leeds (LS) 39 2% 67 92.5%
11 Leicester (LE) 37 1.9% 74 97.3%
12 Slough (SL) 36 1.8% 59 91.5%
13 Gloucester (GL) 33 1.7% 76 84.2%
14 Milton Keynes (MK) 32 1.6% 59 91.5%
15 Maidstone (ME) 32 1.6% 58 91.4%
16 Peterborough (PE) 31 1.6% 71 85.9%
17 London (SW) 31 1.6% 64 78.1%
18 Bolton (BL) 31 1.6% 53 81.1%
19 Norwich (NR) 30 1.5% 64 84.4%
20 Hounslow (TW) 27 1.4% 55 96.4%

The twenty areas with the most Bentley Arnage cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Regional pass rates for the Arnage

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 51 88.2%
London 31 87.1%
East of England 19 89.5%
West Midlands 19 100.0%
East Midlands 17 94.1%
Yorkshire 15 100.0%

Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.

What fails a 2008 Arnage

Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.

Tyres 24.1%
+4.3 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Brakes 21.8%
+0.9 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Suspension 16.1%
−4.9 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Lamps & electrics 12.6%
in line with the national share national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Steering 10.3%
  • Visibility 4.6%
  • Body & chassis 2.3%
  • Advisories 2.3%
  • Identification 2.3%
  • Seat belts 2.3%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2008 Bentley Arnage tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.

Before your test

Three checks worth doing on a 2008 Arnage

These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.

  1. Check the suspension joints 1.2% of tests

    “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”

    With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

  2. Check the battery 1.2% of tests

    “battery(ies) insecure”

    Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.

  3. Check the lights 1.2% of tests

    “headlamp aim too high”

    Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.

What it costs to get a 2008 Arnage through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £29–£71 — and 24% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£29–£71
Cheapest common item: srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp…
£3–£12
Dearest common item: battery(ies) insecure
£60–£140
Common items a careful owner can do at home
90%
Repairs that still cost under £30
24%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 169 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →

Every year of the Arnage, side by side

10 model years on record, from 2000 to 2009. Across them the pass rate runs from 87.0% to 94.9% — a spread of 7.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2000 89.7% ball joint dust cover severely…
  2. 2001 87.0% ball joint dust cover severely…
  3. 2002 89.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
  4. 2003 90.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
  5. 2004 88.4% ball joint dust cover severely…
  6. 2005 91.9% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  7. 2006 90.8% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  8. 2007 87.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
  9. 2008 91.7%
    ball joint dust cover severely…
  10. 2009 94.9% has a bulge, caused by separation…

Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.

Compare the 2008 Bentley Arnage with another year

The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.

Compare 2008 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2008 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2008 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.

The full DVSA record for the 2008 Bentley Arnage 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold

Every inspection category

Shares of the 86 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.

Category Items This car Nationally Difference
Tyres 21 24.10% 19.76% +4.34
Brakes 19 21.80% 20.89% +0.91
Suspension 14 16.10% 20.98% −4.88
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11 12.60% 12.21% +0.39
Steering 9 10.30% 2.57% +7.73
Visibility 4 4.60% 4.97% −0.37
Body, chassis, structure 2 2.30% 5.57% −3.27
Non-component advisories 2 2.30% 4.18% −1.88
Identification of the vehicle 2 2.30% 1.76% +0.54
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 2 2.30% 0.82% +1.48

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 169 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension Minor 1.2% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 1.2% £60–140 Battery →
Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 1.2% £30–80 Headlight Alignment →
Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 1.2% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes Major 1.2% £45–110 Brake Discs and Pads Set →
Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems Major 1.2% £3–12 Indicator Bulb →
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Major 1.2% £45–95 Tyres →
Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension Major 0.59% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Fixing loose Road Wheels Rectified 0.59% £20–55 Wheel Hub Bearing Kit →
Has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Major 0.59% £45–95 Tyres →

Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.

What testers noted without failing the car

Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 5.3% £45–95
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 4.7% £45–110
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 3.0% £45–95
Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension Advisory 3.0% £30–75
Other components leaking Steering Advisory 2.4% £60–200
Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension Advisory 1.8% £180–450

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 42 92.9% 15,625 mi
30-60k 76 94.7% 44,870 mi
60-90k 39 87.2% 69,547 mi
90-120k 8 75.0% 97,337 mi
120k+ 3 100.0% 121,735 mi

Source: 169 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.

2008 Arnage MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Bentley Arnage?

91.7% of the 169 2008 Bentley Arnage tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 91.1%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Bentley Arnage?

The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (1.18%), battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier (1.18%), headlamp aim too high (1.18%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2008 Bentley Arnage MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 92.9% of the time, falling to 100.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Bentley Arnage in this dataset had covered 45,918 mi.

Does the season affect the 2008 Bentley Arnage MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 89.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 94.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.