Calculate my fail sheet

2005 BMW 760 MOT pass rate

Only 71 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.

Check your postcode

Pass rate by postcode →

Pass rate

78.9%

Around average — 6.5 pts ahead of the 72.4% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 71 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £36–£107

Which year to buy

  • Best 2010 89.5% pass
  • Avoid 2004 73.2% pass

Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 16.3 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
75.0%
Typical mileage
91k mi

The 2005 BMW 760 MOT pass rate is 78.9% of its MOT tests — 6.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.9% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2005 BMW 760 on the real record

78.9% of 2005 BMW 760 MOTs passed — 71 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Emissions & leaks: 3.0× the national share

Emissions & leaks make up 16.8% of everything recorded on the 2005 BMW 760, against 5.5% nationally — 11.3 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 26.9%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.

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 760? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2005 BMW 760 compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 72.4%, so this figure is 6.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 75.0%. The median 2005 BMW 760 in this dataset had covered 90,832 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.0% of the time, April–September 82.9%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements", noted on 7.04% of tests.

  • 71 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 78.9% overall pass rate, 75.0% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the BMW 760, the average is 81.4% — best year 2010 (89.5%), worst 2004 (73.2%).

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
71
Typical mileage (median)
90,832 mi
Make and model
BMW 760
Updated
2026-11-07

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Brake Discs and Pads Set

Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.

Does mileage affect the 760 MOT pass rate?

30-60k 83.3%
60-90k 72.7%
90-120k 77.3%
120k+ 86.7%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 64% so small gaps stay visible.

Regional pass rates for the 760

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 23 78.3%

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 2005 760

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.

Suspension 26.9%
+5.9 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Brakes 21.8%
+0.9 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Emissions & leaks 16.8%
+11.3 pts vs national national 5.5% Price emissions & leaks parts
Lamps & electrics 11.8%
in line with the national share national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Tyres 8.4%
  • Advisories 5.9%
  • Visibility 3.4%
  • Identification 1.7%
  • Seat belts 1.7%
  • Body & chassis 0.8%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2005 BMW 760 tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2005 760

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.

  1. Check the suspension joints 4.2% of tests

    “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”

    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.

  2. Check the lights 4.2% of tests

    “headlamp lens slightly defective”

    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.

  3. Check the windscreen 4.2% 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.

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 2005 760 through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£107 — and 23% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£36–£107
Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
£3–£12
Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
£60–£250
Common items a careful owner can do at home
50%
Repairs that still cost under £30
23%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 71 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 760, side by side

7 model years on record, from 2003 to 2014. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.2% to 89.5% — a spread of 16.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2003 80.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
  2. 2004 73.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
  3. 2005 78.9%
    rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  4. 2006 83.3% wipers does not clear the…
  5. 2007 88.2% ball joint dust cover no longer…
  6. 2010 89.5% windscreen damaged but not…
  7. 2014 81.3% coil spring fractured or broken

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 2005 BMW 760 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.

Compare 2005 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2005 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2005 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 2005 BMW 760 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 118 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
Suspension 32 26.90% 20.98% +5.92
Brakes 26 21.80% 20.89% +0.91
Noise, emissions and leaks 20 16.80% 5.52% +11.28
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 14 11.80% 12.21% −0.41
Tyres 10 8.40% 19.76% −11.36
Non-component advisories 7 5.90% 4.18% +1.72
Visibility 4 3.40% 4.97% −1.57
Identification of the vehicle 2 1.70% 1.76% −0.06
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 2 1.70% 0.82% +0.88
Body, chassis, structure 1 0.80% 5.57% −4.77

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 71 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes Major 7.0% £45–110 Brake Discs and Pads Set →
Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension Minor 4.2% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 4.2% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 4.2% £80–200 Windscreen →
Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks Major 2.8% £3–12 Indicator Bulb →
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Major 2.8% £40–150 Suspension Component →
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Major 1.4% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Buckle not functioning as intended Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems Major 1.4% £40–120 Seat Belt →
Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks Major 1.4% £60–250 Emissions Repair →
Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks Major 1.4% £60–250 Emissions Repair →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 18.3% £40–150
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Advisory 15.5% £80–180
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 9.9% £200–700
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Advisory 7.0% £18–45
Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories Advisory 7.0% £120–300
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 7.0% £45–95

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
30-60k 12 83.3% 46,159 mi
60-90k 22 72.7% 71,768 mi
90-120k 22 77.3% 103,779 mi
120k+ 15 86.7% 150,488 mi

Source: 71 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.

2005 760 MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2005 BMW 760?

78.9% of the 71 2005 BMW 760 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.4% for cars first used in 2005. First-attempt pass rate: 75.0%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2005 BMW 760?

The three most recorded items are rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (7.04%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (4.23%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.23%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2005 BMW 760 MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 83.3% of the time, falling to 86.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2005 BMW 760 in this dataset had covered 90,832 mi.

Does the season affect the 2005 BMW 760 MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 82.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.