BMW 740 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW 740 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW 740 passed on its first attempt in 89.5%, and its overall record sits +9.3 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW 740 in the 2023–2025 data: 9,067 tests across 17 model years (2000–2021). 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 BMW 740 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW 740, the Visibility 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 BMW 740's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded BMW 740 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW 740, each with how many of the model's 9,067 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 216 BMW 740 tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 179 BMW 740 tests, 2.0% 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 92 BMW 740 tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 91 BMW 740 tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 51 BMW 740 tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 45 BMW 740 tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW 740 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW 740 model year on record is 2021 (94.2% across 139 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (81.4%). The gap between them is 12.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

BMW 740 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for BMW 740 Owners

These checks follow this BMW 740's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW 740.

• 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 coil springs — “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.

• 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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW 740. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the BMW 740 is most common

Across every 740 model year on record (2000–2021): 4,777 BMW 740 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 9,067 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 208 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.

The twenty areas with the most BMW 740 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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: BMW 740 MOT & Reliability