Does the BMW 4 Series fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The BMW 4 Series records 0.31 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.22 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.91, 95% interval −0.94 to −0.88). It ranks 381 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a BMW 4 Series by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 4 Series is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated”, recorded 499 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 499 | 0.10 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 401 | 0.08 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 211 | 0.04 |
| Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap | 92 | 0.02 |
| Bumper insecure or with damage likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted | 81 | 0.02 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 525,142 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a BMW 4 Series gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
2.2% of BMW 4 Series MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 7 months and 3,236 miles later (502 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 502 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
BMW 4 Series 2013 · BMW 4 Series 2014 · BMW 4 Series 2015 · BMW 4 Series 2016 · BMW 4 Series 2017 · BMW 4 Series 2018 · BMW 4 Series 2019 · BMW 4 Series 2020 · BMW 4 Series by postcode area · BMW 4 Series brakes failures · BMW 4 Series vehicle identification failures · BMW 4 Series lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · BMW 4 Series noise, emissions and leaks failures · BMW 4 Series road wheels failures · BMW 4 Series seat belts and airbags failures · BMW 4 Series steering failures · BMW 4 Series suspension failures · BMW 4 Series tyres failures · BMW 4 Series visibility failures