Pass rate
85.9%
Above average — 8.7 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 953 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £38–£99
2012 BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 110,306 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
27.4% 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 2022 95.5% pass
- Avoid 2005 80.6% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 14.9 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 84.1%
- Typical mileage
- 110k mi
The 2012 BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate is 85.9% of its MOT tests — 8.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.4% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.4× the national share
Tyres make up 27.4% of everything recorded on the 2012 BMW 7 Series, against 19.8% nationally — 7.6 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 85.9% — 8.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 11% 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 7 Series? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 BMW 7 Series compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 8.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 84.1%. The median 2012 BMW 7 Series in this dataset had covered 110,306 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 93% of tests, with a 85.5% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 85.8% of the time, April–September 86.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Coil spring fractured or broken", noted on 2.41% of tests.
- 953 recorded tests behind this page.
- 85.9% overall pass rate, 84.1% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 7 Series, the average is 90.4% — best year 2022 (95.5%), worst 2005 (80.6%).
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
- 953
- Typical mileage (median)
- 110,306 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 7 Series
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Coil Spring
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 7 Series MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 76% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (93% of tests).
Where the BMW 7 Series is most common
Across all 7 Series model years on record (2005–2022): 5,855 BMW 7 Series cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 11,390 tests. London (NW) has the most, with 216 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 (NW) | 216 | 97.0% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 198 | 90.6% |
| 3 | London (E) | 191 | 97.7% |
| 4 | Hayes (UB) | 169 | 94.8% |
| 5 | Hounslow (TW) | 139 | 95.0% |
| 6 | Ilford (IG) | 133 | 92.7% |
| 7 | Wembley (HA) | 125 | 92.2% |
| 8 | Peterborough (PE) | 122 | 89.8% |
| 9 | Slough (SL) | 122 | 92.1% |
| 10 | Leicester (LE) | 121 | 90.9% |
| 11 | London (N) | 120 | 96.8% |
| 12 | Romford (RM) | 120 | 94.9% |
| 13 | Manchester (M) | 116 | 89.7% |
| 14 | Coventry (CV) | 115 | 90.0% |
| 15 | Guildford (GU) | 102 | 84.7% |
| 16 | Reading (RG) | 101 | 89.1% |
| 17 | London (SE) | 98 | 92.2% |
| 18 | Enfield (EN) | 88 | 93.0% |
| 19 | Sheffield (S) | 83 | 88.5% |
| 20 | Derby (DE) | 82 | 91.1% |
The twenty areas with the most BMW 7 Series 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 7 Series
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 191 | 89.5% |
| North West | 131 | 83.2% |
| East of England | 130 | 84.6% |
| West Midlands | 127 | 89.8% |
| East Midlands | 97 | 85.6% |
| Yorkshire | 71 | 87.3% |
| South West | 57 | 77.2% |
| Scotland | 53 | 77.4% |
| London | 40 | 90.0% |
| North East | 37 | 86.5% |
| Wales | 19 | 89.5% |
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 7 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 2012 7 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 coil springs 2.4% 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 windscreen 2.3% 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 suspension joints 1.8% 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.
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 7 Series through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £38–£99 — and 11% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £38–£99
- Cheapest common item: wipers blade defective
- £8–£22
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 11%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 953 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 7 Series, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2005 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 80.6% to 95.5% — a spread of 14.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 80.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 85.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 86.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 81.3% position lamp not working
- 2009 83.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2010 87.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 83.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2012 85.9%coil spring fractured or broken
- 2013 84.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 87.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 81.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 91.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 91.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 92.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 93.4% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2020 93.6% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 93.5% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2022 95.5% 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 BMW 7 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Audi Tt 86.1%
- Audi Q7 86.1%
- Toyota Prius 85.6%
- Mazda Mx-5 85.6%
- Honda Jazz 85.5%
- Porsche Cayenne 86.4%
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 BMW 7 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 938 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 | 261 | 27.40% | 19.76% | +7.64 |
| Suspension | 215 | 22.50% | 20.98% | +1.52 |
| Brakes | 191 | 20.00% | 20.89% | −0.89 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 88 | 9.20% | 5.52% | +3.68 |
| Non-component advisories | 51 | 5.30% | 4.18% | +1.12 |
| Visibility | 49 | 5.10% | 4.97% | +0.13 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 40 | 4.20% | 12.21% | −8.01 |
| Road Wheels | 18 | 1.90% | 0.75% | +1.15 |
| Steering | 16 | 1.70% | 2.57% | −0.87 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9 | 0.90% | 5.57% | −4.67 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 2.4% | £25–65 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.3% | £80–200 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £40–150 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.4% | £18–45 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 0.94% | £18–45 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 0.84% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 0.73% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.73% | £8–22 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 0.73% | £8–22 |
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 | 16.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 7.6% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 6.9% | £200–700 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 6.5% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 4.6% | £40–150 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 4.1% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 9 | 100.0% | 15,429 mi |
| 30-60k | 91 | 85.7% | 49,559 mi |
| 60-90k | 189 | 84.7% | 75,828 mi |
| 90-120k | 277 | 86.6% | 105,610 mi |
| 120k+ | 386 | 86.0% | 150,523 mi |
Source: 953 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 7 Series MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 BMW 7 Series?
85.9% of the 953 2012 BMW 7 Series tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 84.1%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 BMW 7 Series?
The three most recorded items are coil spring fractured or broken (2.41%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.31%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (1.78%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 86.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 BMW 7 Series in this dataset had covered 110,306 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 BMW 7 Series?
Diesel: 85.5% pass rate across 883 tests. Petrol: 89.8% pass rate across 59 tests. Hybrid: 100.0% pass rate across 11 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 85.8% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 86.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.