Does the BMW 4 Series fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The BMW 4 Series records 2.75 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.04 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.29, 95% interval −2.35 to −2.23). It ranks 465 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a BMW 4 Series by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 4 Series is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 6,340 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 6,340 | 1.21 |
| Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator | 1,700 | 0.32 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 1,235 | 0.24 |
| Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution. | 988 | 0.19 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 790 | 0.15 |
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 brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.0% of BMW 4 Series MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,926 miles later (46,868 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 46,868 (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 body, chassis and structure 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