Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 22,079 tests

Pass rate climbs 13.0 points across the cohorts — newer 730 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 17,749

Pass

84.6%

Fail

11.8%

PRS

3.1%

Avg mileage at test

111,955 mi

2018–2020 cohort 4,086

Pass

94.4%

Fail

4.5%

PRS

0.9%

Avg mileage at test

54,857 mi

2021+ cohort 244

Pass

97.5%

Fail

2.0%

PRS

0.4%

Avg mileage at test

41,829 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

BMW 730: solid MOT record across 11,495 tests

The BMW 730 is a diesel-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 11,495 tests puts this car on a 82.9% first-time pass rate, above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 101,604 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by worn suspension pin or bush.

For used buyers, the 730's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 40–50

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

40–50

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

515 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
02

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

324 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

261 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
04

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

233 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
05

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

224 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
06

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

221 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
07

A tyre cords visible or damaged

215 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
08

A tyre seriously damaged

172 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
09

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

159 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
10

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

158 occurrences · 0.7% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures

£300–£815

If every one of this 730's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 13.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy BMW 730 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

97.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 97.5% — a 13.0-point improvement. Tests in this band average 41,829 miles — roughly 70K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

84.6%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 84.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 97.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, pin or bush excessively worn, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 111,955 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (97.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (84.6% pass). That's a 13.0-point spread across 17,749 older tests and 244 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Summit

Summit ADRG-640 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

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Summit ADRG-904 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£10.99

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Draper Expert

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

£18.69

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Book a mobile mechanic

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Buying or keeping a 730?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 730 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.