Pass rate
84.2%
Around average — 5.6 pts ahead of the 78.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,320 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £43–£104
2013 BMW 4 Series MOT pass rate
- 2013
- typical 91,065 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
27.7% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2018 92.1% pass
- Avoid 2015 83.2% pass
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 8.9 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 81.5%
- Typical mileage
- 91k mi
The 2013 BMW 4 Series MOT pass rate is 84.2% of its MOT tests — 5.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.7% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how BMW 4 Series does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.4× the national share
Tyres make up 27.7% of everything recorded on the 2013 BMW 4 Series, against 19.8% nationally — 7.9 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 78.6% and this one manages 84.2% — 5.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 16% 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 BMW 4 Series? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2013 BMW 4 Series compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 78.6%, so this figure is 5.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 81.5%. The median 2013 BMW 4 Series in this dataset had covered 91,065 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 61% of tests, with a 82.5% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 84.1% of the time, April–September 84.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 3.75% of tests.
- 2,320 recorded tests behind this page.
- 84.2% overall pass rate, 81.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 4 Series, the average is 85.4% — best year 2018 (92.1%), worst 2015 (83.2%).
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
- 2,320
- Typical mileage (median)
- 91,065 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 4 Series
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the 4 Series MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 71% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (61% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the 4 Series
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 537 | 83.8% |
| East of England | 264 | 85.6% |
| North West | 251 | 84.9% |
| West Midlands | 227 | 88.5% |
| South West | 213 | 78.4% |
| East Midlands | 186 | 83.9% |
| Yorkshire | 164 | 85.4% |
| London | 160 | 93.1% |
| North East | 111 | 79.3% |
| Scotland | 106 | 82.1% |
| Wales | 96 | 76.0% |
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 2013 4 Series
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 2013 4 Series
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 windscreen 3.8% of tests
“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.
-
Check the shock absorbers 2.6% 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.
-
Check the tyre tread 1.6% of tests
“tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”
Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.
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 2013 4 Series through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £43–£104 — and 16% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £43–£104
- Cheapest common item: washers provides insufficient washer liquid
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 16%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,320 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 4 Series, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2013 to 2019. Across them the pass rate runs from 83.2% to 92.1% — a spread of 8.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2013 84.2%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 84.6% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2015 83.2% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2016 89.7% has a bulge, caused by separation…
- 2017 89.2% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2018 92.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 90.7% 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 2013 BMW 4 Series 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 2013 cars with a similar record
- Land Rover Range Rover 84.3%
- Honda Civic 84.5%
- Mitsubishi Mirage 83.9%
- MINI First 83.9%
- MINI COOPER 84.6%
- Suzuki Jimny 83.8%
Closest pass rates among 2013 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 2013 BMW 4 Series 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 2,765 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 | 778 | 27.70% | 19.76% | +7.94 |
| Brakes | 699 | 24.90% | 20.89% | +4.01 |
| Suspension | 409 | 14.60% | 20.98% | −6.38 |
| Non-component advisories | 304 | 10.80% | 4.18% | +6.62 |
| Visibility | 183 | 6.50% | 4.97% | +1.53 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 139 | 5.00% | 12.21% | −7.21 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 91 | 3.20% | 5.52% | −2.32 |
| Steering | 73 | 2.60% | 2.57% | +0.03 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 47 | 1.70% | 5.57% | −3.87 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 42 | 1.50% | 1.76% | −0.26 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.8% | £80–200 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 2.6% | £30–75 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.7% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.6% | £45–95 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 1.1% | £45–110 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.86% | £5–25 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.86% | £8–22 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 0.82% | £18–45 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Rectified | 0.78% | £5–15 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 19.4% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 10.2% | £120–300 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.7% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 8.8% | £18–45 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 5.8% | £30–75 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 3.8% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 43 | 88.4% | 24,310 mi |
| 30-60k | 323 | 88.5% | 47,515 mi |
| 60-90k | 763 | 84.9% | 75,776 mi |
| 90-120k | 722 | 84.1% | 104,011 mi |
| 120k+ | 469 | 79.7% | 142,435 mi |
Source: 2,320 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.
2013 4 Series MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2013 BMW 4 Series?
84.2% of the 2,320 2013 BMW 4 Series tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 78.6% for cars first used in 2013. First-attempt pass rate: 81.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2013 BMW 4 Series?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.75%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (2.59%), has ply or cords exposed (1.72%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2013 BMW 4 Series MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.4% of the time, falling to 79.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2013 BMW 4 Series in this dataset had covered 91,065 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2013 BMW 4 Series?
Diesel: 82.5% pass rate across 1,414 tests. Petrol: 86.8% pass rate across 906 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2013 BMW 4 Series MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 84.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 84.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.