Is the Bentley Continental reliable?

On MOT evidence the Bentley Continental is well above average. It passes 90.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 74% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Bentley Continental?

The item recorded most often is "Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction", which appears in 15.0% of failed Bentley Continental tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Bentley Continental?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 8.7% of all Bentley Continental tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Bentley Continental usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 45,378 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Bentley Continental get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 96.6% of Bentley Continental tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 88.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Bentley Continental MOT pass rate & common failures

From 14,552 recorded MOT tests of the Bentley Continental, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Bentley Continental passes 90.7% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average. Based on 14,552 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, which appears in 15.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 45,378 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

90.7%national average72.3%unadjusted91.7%range covered74%

The Continental is 18.4 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 91.7%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Bentley Continental tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction15.0%
153 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.5%
117 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged11.4%
116 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.2%
84 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged6.7%
68 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements6.3%
64 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged5.5%
56 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements5.4%
55 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
9.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc4.3%
44 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
10.ESC MIL indicates a system malfunction4.2%
43 occurrences

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Bentley Continental tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.A tyre seriously damaged8.7%
1,271 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements6.8%
995 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured6.2%
895 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn3.9%
563 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm2.8%
414 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged2.5%
363 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged1.6%
227 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements1.1%
165 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs97%

6–8 yrs96%

9–11 yrs94%

12–14 yrs91%

15+ yrs89%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Continental fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 45,378
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (8)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

CONTINENTAL GT
CONTINENTAL GT AZURE V8 AUTO
CONTINENTAL GT MULLINER W12 A
CONTINENTAL GT S V8 AUTO
CONTINENTAL GT SPEED AUTO
CONTINENTAL GT V8 AUTO
CONTINENTAL R
CONTINENTAL T

Check a specific Bentley Continental

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Bentley models

Bentley Bentayga — 95.3% unadjusted
Bentley Arnage — 86.4% unadjusted
Bentley Mulsanne — 90.8% unadjusted
Bentley Flying Spur — 92.6% unadjusted
Bentley Turbo — 82.5% unadjusted
All Bentley models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Porsche Cayman — 87.2% adjusted, ranked 12
Citroen Relay — 68.6% adjusted, ranked 188
Subaru Forester — 75.1% adjusted, ranked 110
Dacia Logan — 72.6% adjusted, ranked 136

Common questions

Is the Bentley Continental reliable?: On MOT evidence the Bentley Continental is well above average. It passes 90.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 74% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Bentley Continental?: The item recorded most often is "Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction", which appears in 15.0% of failed Bentley Continental tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Bentley Continental?: The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 8.7% of all Bentley Continental tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Bentley Continental usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 45,378 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Bentley Continental get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 96.6% of Bentley Continental tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 88.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.