Pass rate
94.4%
Above average — 17.2 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 198 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £41–£116
2012 Bentley Mulsanne MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 36,195 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
30.3% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 98.6% pass
- Avoid 2011 93.4% pass
Across the 11 years on record, a spread of 5.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 94.3%
- Typical mileage
- 36k mi
The 2012 Bentley Mulsanne MOT pass rate is 94.4% of its MOT tests — 17.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 30.3% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.5× the national share
Tyres make up 30.3% of everything recorded on the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne, against 19.8% nationally — 10.5 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 77.2% and this one manages 94.4% — 17.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 33% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 Mulsanne? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 17.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 94.3%. The median 2012 Bentley Mulsanne in this dataset had covered 36,195 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 95.3% of the time, April–September 93.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction", noted on 1.52% of tests.
- 198 recorded tests behind this page.
- 94.4% overall pass rate, 94.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Bentley Mulsanne, the average is 96.1% — best year 2020 (98.6%), worst 2011 (93.4%).
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
- 198
- Typical mileage (median)
- 36,195 mi
- Make and model
- Bentley Mulsanne
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Indicator Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Mulsanne MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 84% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Bentley Mulsanne is most common
Across all Mulsanne model years on record (2010–2020): 1,311 Bentley Mulsanne cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,256 tests. London (SW) has the most, with 123 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 | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London (SW) | 123 | 95.8% |
| 2 | London (NW) | 46 | 91.1% |
| 3 | Leicester (LE) | 46 | 97.5% |
| 4 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 45 | 93.7% |
| 5 | Birmingham (B) | 43 | 94.9% |
| 6 | Chelmsford (CM) | 36 | 93.7% |
| 7 | Crawley (RH) | 34 | 95.9% |
| 8 | Warrington (WA) | 34 | 100.0% |
| 9 | Leeds (LS) | 31 | 100.0% |
| 10 | Reading (RG) | 30 | 100.0% |
| 11 | Hounslow (TW) | 30 | 97.7% |
| 12 | London (W) | 27 | 91.5% |
| 13 | Peterborough (PE) | 27 | 100.0% |
| 14 | Enfield (EN) | 27 | 100.0% |
| 15 | Hayes (UB) | 26 | 100.0% |
| 16 | High Wycombe (HP) | 23 | 94.7% |
| 17 | Guildford (GU) | 23 | 96.8% |
| 18 | Gloucester (GL) | 22 | 97.4% |
| 19 | Slough (SL) | 22 | 100.0% |
| 20 | St Albans (AL) | 21 | — |
The twenty areas with the most Bentley Mulsanne 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 Mulsanne
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 56 | 96.4% |
| London | 44 | 88.6% |
| East of England | 25 | 100.0% |
| North West | 21 | 95.2% |
| East Midlands | 18 | 94.4% |
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 2012 Mulsanne
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.
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 2012 Mulsanne
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.
-
Check the lights 1.5% of tests
“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.
-
Check the suspension joints 1.0% of tests
“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.
-
Check the shock absorbers 1.0% of tests
“shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”
Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.
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 2012 Mulsanne through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £41–£116 — and 33% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £41–£116
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: steering rack gaiter missing or no longer…
- £120–£300
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 33%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 198 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 Mulsanne, side by side
11 model years on record, from 2010 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 93.4% to 98.6% — a spread of 5.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2010 96.7% individual direction indicators…
- 2011 93.4% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2012 94.4%malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2013 95.7% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2014 98.5% tyre pressure monitoring system…
- 2015 96.1% ball joint dust cover no longer…
- 2016 96.6% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2017 95.9% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2018 97.7% brake pads worn down to wear…
- 2019 96.2% has ply or cords exposed
- 2020 98.6% has a cut in excess of the…
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 2012 Bentley Mulsanne 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.
Other 2012 cars with a similar record
- Porsche 911 93.4%
- Porsche Boxster 91.6%
- Audi A8 90.2%
- Honda Fit 89.3%
- Toyota Estima 88.3%
- Lexus Rx 88.3%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Bentley Mulsanne 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 76 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 | 23 | 30.30% | 19.76% | +10.54 |
| Suspension | 18 | 23.70% | 20.98% | +2.72 |
| Steering | 9 | 11.80% | 2.57% | +9.23 |
| Brakes | 7 | 9.20% | 20.89% | −11.69 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6 | 7.90% | 12.21% | −4.31 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6 | 7.90% | 5.52% | +2.38 |
| Visibility | 4 | 5.30% | 4.97% | +0.33 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1 | 1.30% | 5.57% | −4.27 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1 | 1.30% | 1.76% | −0.46 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1 | 1.30% | 0.82% | +0.48 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.5% | £3–12 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.5% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.0% | £40–150 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 1.0% | £30–75 |
| Steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | Major | 1.0% | £120–300 |
| Windscreen excessively tinted but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.0% | £80–200 |
| Bonnet primary retaining device ineffective Visibility | Major | 0.51% | £20–80 |
| Emissions not tested unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 0.51% | £60–250 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 0.51% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 0.51% | £45–95 |
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.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 5.6% | £45–95 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 5.6% | £30–75 |
| Pipes and hoses leaking Steering | Advisory | 3.0% | £60–200 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 2.0% | £45–95 |
| Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 1.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 1.0% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 61 | 98.4% | 19,073 mi |
| 30-60k | 109 | 92.7% | 41,054 mi |
| 60-90k | 26 | 92.3% | 73,069 mi |
| 90-120k | 2 | 100.0% | 97,148 mi |
Source: 198 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.
2012 Mulsanne MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Bentley Mulsanne?
94.4% of the 198 2012 Bentley Mulsanne tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 94.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Bentley Mulsanne?
The three most recorded items are malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (1.52%), position lamp not working (1.52%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (1.01%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 98.4% of the time, falling to 100.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Bentley Mulsanne in this dataset had covered 36,195 mi.
Does the season affect the 2012 Bentley Mulsanne MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 95.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 93.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.