Pass rate
83.1%
Around average — 8.4 pts ahead of the 74.7% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 130 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £24–£64
2010 BMW 6 Series MOT pass rate
- 2010
- typical 105,838 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
29.9% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 91.2% pass
- Avoid 2006 80.0% pass
Across the 14 years on record, a spread of 11.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 80.0%
- Typical mileage
- 106k mi
The 2010 BMW 6 Series MOT pass rate is 83.1% of its MOT tests — 8.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 29.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how BMW 6 Series does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.5× the national share
Tyres make up 29.9% of everything recorded on the 2010 BMW 6 Series, against 19.8% nationally — 10.1 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 74.7% and this one manages 83.1% — 8.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 23% 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 6 Series? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2010 BMW 6 Series compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.7%, so this figure is 8.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 80.0%. The median 2010 BMW 6 Series in this dataset had covered 105,838 mi.
86% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 82.1% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 87.3% of the time, April–September 79.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Track rod end ball joint has excessive play", noted on 3.08% of tests.
- 130 recorded tests behind this page.
- 83.1% overall pass rate, 80.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 6 Series, the average is 87.8% — best year 2019 (91.2%), worst 2006 (80.0%).
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
- 130
- Typical mileage (median)
- 105,838 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 6 Series
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
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 6 Series MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 68% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (86% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the 6 Series
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 28 | 82.1% |
| South East | 26 | 88.5% |
| North West | 21 | 76.2% |
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 2010 6 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 2010 6 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 suspension joints 3.1% of tests
“track rod end ball joint has excessive play”
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 coil springs 2.3% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
-
Check the brakes 1.5% of tests
“brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”
Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.
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 2010 6 Series through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £24–£64 — and 23% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £24–£64
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: pins
- £40–£150
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 23%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 130 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 6 Series, side by side
14 model years on record, from 2005 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 80.0% to 91.2% — a spread of 11.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 83.5% position lamp not working
- 2006 80.0% position lamp not working
- 2007 81.6% position lamp not working
- 2008 80.8% ball joint excessively worn
- 2009 84.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 83.1%track rod end ball joint has…
- 2011 83.0% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 84.9% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2013 83.2% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 85.1% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2017 87.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2018 90.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 91.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 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 2010 BMW 6 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 2010 cars with a similar record
- Volvo S80 83.1%
- Audi Q7 83.6%
- Toyota Iq 83.7%
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 83.8%
- Toyota Prius 82.3%
- Lexus RX450H 84.1%
Closest pass rates among 2010 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 2010 BMW 6 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 137 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 | 41 | 29.90% | 19.76% | +10.14 |
| Suspension | 33 | 24.10% | 20.98% | +3.12 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 15 | 10.90% | 5.52% | +5.38 |
| Brakes | 14 | 10.20% | 20.89% | −10.69 |
| Steering | 9 | 6.60% | 2.57% | +4.03 |
| Visibility | 7 | 5.10% | 4.97% | +0.13 |
| Non-component advisories | 7 | 5.10% | 4.18% | +0.92 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5 | 3.60% | 12.21% | −8.61 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3 | 2.20% | 5.57% | −3.37 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3 | 2.20% | 1.76% | +0.44 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 3.1% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 2.3% | £25–65 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 2.3% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 2.3% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.3% | £40–150 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.5% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 1.5% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.5% | £3–12 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.5% | £5–20 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Rectified | 1.5% | £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 | 19.2% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 6.9% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 5.4% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 5.4% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 4.6% | £45–110 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Advisory | 3.9% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 9 | 88.9% | 44,104 mi |
| 60-90k | 28 | 92.9% | 79,878 mi |
| 90-120k | 55 | 81.8% | 105,567 mi |
| 120k+ | 38 | 76.3% | 152,336 mi |
Source: 130 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.
2010 6 Series MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2010 BMW 6 Series?
83.1% of the 130 2010 BMW 6 Series tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.7% for cars first used in 2010. First-attempt pass rate: 80.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2010 BMW 6 Series?
The three most recorded items are track rod end ball joint has excessive play (3.08%), coil spring fractured or broken (2.31%), has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.31%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2010 BMW 6 Series MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.9% of the time, falling to 76.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2010 BMW 6 Series in this dataset had covered 105,838 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2010 BMW 6 Series?
Diesel: 82.1% pass rate across 112 tests. Petrol: 88.9% pass rate across 18 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2010 BMW 6 Series MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 87.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 79.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.