The MOT Files

Known faults, from the test record

Bentley Continental common problems

What fails on the Bentley Continental at MOT, which parts are behind it, and how each model year compares. From 14,552 DVSA test records.

Data updated

Quick answer

The Bentley Continental's most common MOT problems are tyres, suspension bushes, engine management, recorded in 39.8%, 16.2% and 15.0% of failed tests respectively. By model year, 2007 cars pass most often (90.3%) and 2004 cars least (84.9%), though most of that gap is age. Every figure here is what testers recorded, not what owners reported.

A “common problems” list is usually a forum thread: whoever had the worst day writes the longest post. This one is built the other way, from every Bentley Continental that took an MOT last year and what the tester wrote down. It cannot see breakdowns, electrical gremlins or a gearbox that hunts, because the test does not check those. What it can see, it sees across 14,552 cars.

By component

What wears out on a Continental

Failure items grouped by the part behind them, with the share of failed Bentley Continental tests recording each. A part can carry several DVSA wordings; they are listed beneath. One failed test often lists several items, so shares do not sum to 100%.

  1. 1.Tyres

    39.8% of failed tests

    Tread wears with every mile and sidewalls age and take kerb damage; the legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters.

    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained11.4%
    • “A tyre cords visible or damaged” — explained8.2%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained6.7%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained5.5%

    Across all cars, tyres failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long tyres last

  2. 2.Suspension bushes

    16.2% of failed tests

    Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained11.5%
    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained1.6%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained1.6%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained1.6%

    Across all cars, suspension bushes failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long suspension bushes last

  3. 3.Engine management

    15.0% of failed tests

    The MIL lamp lit is a failure in itself, whatever the stored code; the fault codes section explains what lies behind it.

    • “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction” — explained15.0%

  4. 4.Bulbs and lamps

    14.8% of failed tests

    Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained3.2%
    • “An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained2.4%
    • “A reversing lamp inoperative” — explained2.3%
    • “A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps” — explained2.3%

    Across all cars, bulbs and lamps failures climb 15-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long bulbs and lamps last

  5. 5.Catalytic converter and emissions

    8.8% of failed tests

    Catalysts degrade with age and misfires; a failed emissions reading is usually the catalyst, a lambda sensor or a tired engine.

    • “Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer” — explained3.6%
    • “Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits” — explained2.6%
    • “Emissions levels exceed default limits” — explained2.5%

  6. 6.Wiper blades and washers

    8.4% of failed tests

    Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained3.7%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained3.2%
    • “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen” — explained1.5%

    Across all cars, wiper blades and washers failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long wiper blades and washers last

  7. 7.Registration plates

    6.3% of failed tests

    Plates fade, crack and delaminate; non-standard fonts and spacing fail regardless of condition.

    • “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements” — explained6.3%

  8. 8.Headlamp aim

    5.5% of failed tests

    Aim drifts with sagging suspension, a knocked lamp or a botched bulb change; adjustment, not a part.

    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained2.2%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained1.9%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained1.5%

By registration year

Continental problems by year

MOT pass rate for Bentley Continental cars by the year they were first registered, from years with at least 1,000 tests. Every car in a row is the same age, so the rate is raw. Neighbouring years differ by a year of wear — a step of a point or two is age. No single step here is large enough to point at a generation change.

200485%
200588%+2.9
200688%−0.2
200790%+2.8

Last column: change on the previous year, in points. Years registered within the last three years have not yet been tested and are not shown.

Before it fails

What testers warn Continental owners about

Advisories are the same parts a year or two earlier. Share of all Bentley Continental tests carrying an advisory for each.

Go deeper

The rest of the Continental file

Common questions

What are the most common problems with a Bentley Continental?
Going by what fails the MOT, tyres (recorded in 39.8% of failed tests), suspension bushes (recorded in 16.2% of failed tests), and engine management (recorded in 15.0% of failed tests). These are the items testers actually record across 14,552 tests, not reports from owners, so they describe what goes wrong at the point where it has to be fixed.
Which Bentley Continental year is the most reliable?
By MOT pass rate, Bentley Continental cars registered in 2007 do best at 90.3% and 2004 cars do worst at 84.9%. Most of that ordering is simply age — newer cars pass more — so read the year table for steps larger than a couple of points between neighbouring years; those mark a change in the cars rather than the calendar.
Is the Bentley Continental reliable?
Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the Bentley Continental passes 90.7% of MOTs against a national 72.3%. An MOT measures roadworthiness on the day rather than breakdowns or running costs, so this is a reliability measure in the narrow sense: how often the car meets the legal standard, and what stops it.
What should I check when buying a used Bentley Continental?
Start with what fails most: tyres, suspension bushes, bulbs and lamps. Then read the car's own MOT history for advisories carried year to year without repair — the model tells you what to expect, the history tells you whether this owner dealt with it.

Analysis built from DVSA data of