Is the BMW 6 Series reliable?

On MOT evidence the BMW 6 Series is well above average. It passes 81.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 46 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 BMW 6 Series?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 19.2% of failed BMW 6 Series 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 BMW 6 Series?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.3% of all BMW 6 Series tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a BMW 6 Series usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,626 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 BMW 6 Series get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.5% of BMW 6 Series tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 73.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most BMW 6 Series models petrol or diesel?

Of the BMW 6 Series cars tested, 62% are diesel, 37% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

BMW 6 Series MOT pass rate & common failures

From 21,674 recorded MOT tests of the BMW 6 Series, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The BMW 6 Series passes 81.4% 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, ranking it 46 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 21,674 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 19.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 90,626 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

81.4%national average72.3%unadjusted79.6%range covered90%rank46 of 262

The 6 Series is 9.1 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 79.6%; 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 BMW 6 Series tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened19.2%
737 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged13.0%
498 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged10.0%
384 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged9.3%
357 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.7%
335 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.1%
271 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.4%
245 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.1%
233 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.7%
220 occurrencesLamp not working explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged5.1%
197 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all BMW 6 Series tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements20.3%
4,398 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.6%
1,859 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users7.9%
1,716 tests
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.8%
1,697 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.1%
1,318 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged5.7%
1,239 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.6%
1,213 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.1%
677 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs89%

6–8 yrs86%

9–11 yrs82%

12–14 yrs78%

15+ yrs74%

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

What gets tested

The 6 Series fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 90,626
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel62.5%
Petrol37.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

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

650I M SPORT
M635

Check a specific BMW 6 Series

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

Compare within the range

Other BMW models

BMW 3 Series — 80.0% adjusted
BMW 1 Series — 77.6% adjusted
BMW 5 Series — 82.0% adjusted
BMW 2 Series — 82.9% adjusted
BMW X1 — 79.5% adjusted
BMW 4 Series — 83.2% adjusted
All BMW models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Skoda Rapid — 73.4% adjusted, ranked 128
Mercedes-Benz CLS — 76.4% adjusted, ranked 93
Mini John Cooper Works — 83.8% adjusted, ranked 27
Citroen C4 Cactus — 69.0% adjusted, ranked 180

Common questions

Is the BMW 6 Series reliable?: On MOT evidence the BMW 6 Series is well above average. It passes 81.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 46 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 BMW 6 Series?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 19.2% of failed BMW 6 Series 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 BMW 6 Series?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.3% of all BMW 6 Series tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a BMW 6 Series usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,626 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 BMW 6 Series get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.5% of BMW 6 Series tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 73.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most BMW 6 Series models petrol or diesel?: Of the BMW 6 Series cars tested, 62% are diesel, 37% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

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.