Bentley Continental MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Bentley Continental MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Bentley Continental passed on its first attempt in 92.7%, and its overall record sits +12.1 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Bentley Continental in the 2023–2025 data: 42,936 tests across 21 model years (2000–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Bentley Continental MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Bentley Continental, the Noise, emissions and leaks section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Bentley Continental's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Bentley Continental DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Bentley Continental, each with how many of the model's 42,936 tests it was noted on.

• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 576 Bentley Continental tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 404 Bentley Continental tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 279 Bentley Continental tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 256 Bentley Continental tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 201 Bentley Continental tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 190 Bentley Continental tests, 0.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Bentley Continental Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Bentley Continental model year on record is 2022 (97.2% across 423 tests), and the weakest is 2004 (89.2%). The gap between them is 8.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Bentley Continental Owners

These checks follow this Bentley Continental's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Bentley Continental.

• the lights — “malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction”

  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.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

• the suspension joints — “pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”

  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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Bentley Continental. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Bentley Continental MOT & Reliability