How reliable is the BMW Alpina compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the BMW Alpina, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 83.7% across 1,581 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 Alpina?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 18.0% of failed BMW Alpina 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 Alpina?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 14.1% of all BMW Alpina tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a BMW Alpina usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 93,290 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 Alpina years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, BMW Alpina cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 92.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 81.5%. 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 Alpina get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.5% of BMW Alpina tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 81.5%. 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 Alpina models petrol or diesel?

Of the BMW Alpina cars tested, 53% are petrol, 47% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

BMW Alpina MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,581 recorded MOT tests of the BMW Alpina, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,581 MOT tests, 83.7% of BMW Alpina tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the BMW Alpina 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 seriously damaged, which appears in 18.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 93,290 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

83.7%unadjusted, not comparable1,581 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Alpina. 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 1,581 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A tyre seriously damaged18.0%
40 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage12.2%
27 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
3.A tyre cords visible or damaged11.3%
25 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.7%
17 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements7.2%
16 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.3%
14 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement5.4%
12 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
8.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements5.4%
12 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged5.4%
12 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged5.0%
11 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all BMW Alpina 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 requirements14.1%
222 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.0%
125 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged7.8%
122 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded7.7%
121 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened7.1%
111 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched6.6%
103 testsBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.5%
87 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users5.2%
82 tests

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the BMW Alpina

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.

How wear changes the picture

Alpina pass rate by age and registration year

How often the BMW Alpina 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. 2020–202293%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201986%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201682%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201384%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier82%

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 Alpina 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 Alpina fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 93,290
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol52.7%
Diesel47.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (7)

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

ALPINA B10 V8
ALPINA B3
ALPINA B3 S
ALPINA B4 GRAN COUPE AUTOMATIC
ALPINA B5
ALPINA B8
ALPINA B8 AUTO

Check a specific BMW Alpina

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 Alpina compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the BMW Alpina, 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 83.7% across 1,581 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 Alpina?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 18.0% of failed BMW Alpina 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 Alpina?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 14.1% of all BMW Alpina tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a BMW Alpina usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 93,290 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 Alpina years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, BMW Alpina cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 92.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 81.5%. 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 Alpina get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.5% of BMW Alpina tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 81.5%. 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 Alpina models petrol or diesel?: Of the BMW Alpina cars tested, 53% are petrol, 47% are diesel. 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.