BMW Alpina MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW Alpina MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW Alpina passed on its first attempt in 85.6%, and its overall record sits +6.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW Alpina in the 2023–2025 data: 4,714 tests across 23 model years (2000–2022). 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 Alpina MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded BMW Alpina DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW Alpina, each with how many of the model's 4,714 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 149 BMW Alpina tests, 3.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 75 BMW Alpina tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 69 BMW Alpina tests, 1.5% 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 66 BMW Alpina tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 40 BMW Alpina tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 29 BMW Alpina tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW Alpina Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW Alpina model year on record is 2022 (98.2% across 56 tests), and the weakest is 2009 (81.6%). The gap between them is 16.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

BMW Alpina reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.5 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 Alpina Owners

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

• 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 shock absorbers — “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.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  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 Alpina. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the BMW Alpina is most common

Across every Alpina model year on record (2000–2022): 2,369 BMW Alpina cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,709 tests. Nottingham (NG) has the most, with 148 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 Alpina 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 Alpina MOT & Reliability