How reliable is the BMW 8 Series compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the BMW 8 Series, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 84.7% across 6,794 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW 8 Series?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 28.9% of failed BMW 8 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 8 Series?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 14.3% of all BMW 8 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 8 Series usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 44,402 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.

Which BMW 8 Series years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, BMW 8 Series cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 85.9%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 79.0%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a BMW 8 Series get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.9% of BMW 8 Series tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 79.0%. 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 8 Series models petrol or diesel?

Of the BMW 8 Series cars tested, 80% are petrol, 16% are diesel, 4% are diesel hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

BMW 8 Series MOT pass rate & common failures

From 6,794 recorded MOT tests of the BMW 8 Series, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 6,794 MOT tests, 84.7% of BMW 8 Series tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the BMW 8 Series fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre cords visible or damaged, which appears in 28.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 44,402 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

84.7%unadjusted, not comparable6,794 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 8 Series. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 6,794 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed BMW 8 Series tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A tyre cords visible or damaged28.9%
271 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged23.3%
219 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged19.7%
185 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel9.5%
89 occurrencesRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.4%
79 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged8.0%
75 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements6.0%
56 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained
8.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements3.8%
36 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
9.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc3.8%
36 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
10.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen3.3%
31 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all BMW 8 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 requirements14.3%
973 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged5.8%
392 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged3.7%
251 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.2%
215 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users2.5%
167 tests
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.4%
166 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured2.4%
162 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn2.1%
145 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the BMW 8 Series

The 20 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

BMW 8 Series common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a 8 Series, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

8 Series common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

8 Series pass rate by age and registration year

How often the BMW 8 Series passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202286%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201984%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier79%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer 8 Series outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The 8 Series fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 44,402
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol80.5%
Diesel15.7%
Diesel hybrid3.8%

Trim names grouped into this model (5)

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

840D XDRIVE M SPORT MHEV AUTO
840I AUTO
840I M SPORT AUTO
M850
M850I

Check a specific BMW 8 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

Common questions

How reliable is the BMW 8 Series compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the BMW 8 Series, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 84.7% across 6,794 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW 8 Series?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 28.9% of failed BMW 8 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 8 Series?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 14.3% of all BMW 8 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 8 Series usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 44,402 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.
Which BMW 8 Series years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, BMW 8 Series cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 85.9%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 79.0%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a BMW 8 Series get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.9% of BMW 8 Series tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 79.0%. 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 8 Series models petrol or diesel?: Of the BMW 8 Series cars tested, 80% are petrol, 16% are diesel, 4% are diesel hybrid. 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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.