MOT Risk Index.co.uk

BMW Z4 2008: MOT failure rate for its age

28.9% of 11,670 MOT tests of the BMW Z4 first registered in 2008 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 109.8 (95% CI 106.1–113.5; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2008 BMW Z4 fails more often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

BMW Z4 built in 2008 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time28.9%all ages tested2019–202411670
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 106.1–113.5)109.8index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–202411670
Rank among this model's 17 build years15of 171 = fails least for its age2019–202411670
Tested in 20241838testsmedian 78,903 miles20241838
line · BMW Z4 built 2008 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2008 28.4% vs model normal 22.5% at age 11 · 2019–2024
Built 2008 against BMW Z4 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 11: 28.4% vs 22.5%; age 12: 28.8% vs 23.2%; age 13: 28.8% vs 25.8%; age 14: 28.6% vs 27.2%; age 15: 29.1% vs 28.9%; age 16: 29.9% vs 31%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.
Check a 2008 BMW Z4 by registration · All BMW Z4 MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2008 BMW Z4 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

BMW Z4 built 2008: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
112,08928.426.5–30.422.5126.1
121,90028.826.8–30.923.2124.2
131,96628.826.9–30.925.8111.9
141,95428.626.6–30.727.2105.2
151,92329.127.1–31.128.9100.5
161,83829.927.9–32.13196.6

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 11,670 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2008 BMW Z4?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2008 is suspension: 15.8 items per 100 first tests, against 11.4 across all build years of the BMW Z4. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16.

Failure items per 100 first tests, BMW Z4 built 2008 against the BMW Z4 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2008, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Suspension15.811.41,847
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment13.411.81,565
Brakes1010.81,171
Tyres88.8931
Visibility86.9931

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 11,670 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2008 compare with the years around it?

Among the 17 published build years of the BMW Z4, 2008 ranks 15 (1 = fails least for its age). 2007: index 99.4. 2009: index 81.4.

BMW Z4 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
2003104.7102.0–107.4worse17,174
2004102.4100.0–104.9no different20,618
2005115.7112.6–118.9worse14,139
2006102.299.6–104.8no different19,975
200799.496.8–102.0no different20,289
2008109.8106.1–113.5worse11,670
200981.478.5–84.3better15,365
201088.685.0–92.1better12,152
201190.686.8–94.4better12,046
201296.892.6–100.9no different11,689
2013102.597.7–107.3no different9,760
201496.892.4–101.2no different11,831
201596.391.2–101.3no different9,794
2016104.898.6–111.1no different7,536
2017112.591.2–133.7no different (rough estimate)751
201994.987.6–102.2no different6,201
202088.778.2–99.1better (rough estimate)3,108

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 204,098 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). BMW Z4 2008 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/bmw-z4/2008/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

BMW Z4 2003 · BMW Z4 2004 · BMW Z4 2005 · BMW Z4 2006 · BMW Z4 2007 · BMW Z4 2009 · BMW Z4 2010 · BMW Z4 2011 · BMW Z4 2012 · BMW Z4 2013 · BMW Z4 2014 · BMW Z4 2015 · BMW Z4 2016 · BMW Z4 2017 · BMW Z4 2019 · BMW Z4 2020 · BMW Z4 in Finland · BMW Z4 in the Netherlands · BMW Z4 by postcode area · BMW Z4 body, chassis and structure failures · BMW Z4 brakes failures · BMW Z4 vehicle identification failures · BMW Z4 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · BMW Z4 noise, emissions and leaks failures · BMW Z4 road wheels failures · BMW Z4 seat belts and airbags failures · BMW Z4 steering failures · BMW Z4 suspension failures · BMW Z4 tyres failures · BMW Z4 visibility failures