How reliable is the BMW M6 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the BMW M6, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 88.0% across 1,260 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 M6?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 30.6% of failed BMW M6 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 M6?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 15.2% of all BMW M6 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a BMW M6 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 59,597 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 M6 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, BMW M6 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 88.7%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 86.3%. 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 M6 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 88.7% of BMW M6 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 86.3%. 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

BMW M6 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,260 recorded MOT tests of the BMW M6, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,260 MOT tests, 88.0% of BMW M6 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the BMW M6 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 30.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 59,597 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

88.0%unadjusted, not comparable1,260 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the M6. 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 1,260 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed BMW M6 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 damaged30.6%
41 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged19.4%
26 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen11.2%
15 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.4%
14 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.2%
11 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements6.0%
8 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged5.2%
7 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen4.5%
6 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen4.5%
6 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer4.5%
6 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all BMW M6 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 requirements15.2%
192 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured9.7%
122 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.1%
77 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged6.0%
75 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn3.9%
49 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.1%
39 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.3%
29 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn2.3%
29 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the BMW M6

The 19 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

M6 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the BMW M6 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201989%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201688%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201390%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier86%

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 M6 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 M6 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 59,597
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.8%

Check a specific BMW M6

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 M6 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the BMW M6, 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 88.0% across 1,260 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 M6?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 30.6% of failed BMW M6 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 M6?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 15.2% of all BMW M6 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a BMW M6 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 59,597 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 M6 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, BMW M6 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 88.7%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 86.3%. 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 M6 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 88.7% of BMW M6 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 86.3%. 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. 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.