BMW
11,348 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where R1250s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 18.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
95.5%
Pass-after-fix
1.9%
Fail
2.2%
Avg miles
14,659
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 11,340 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old R1250 examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
95.5%
Fail
2.2%
PRS
1.9%
Avg mileage at test
14,815 mi
Pass
95.8%
Fail
2.1%
PRS
2.1%
Avg mileage at test
10,751 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 7,307 MOT tests, the R1250 returns 95.5% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Brake pads worn below 1.0 mm and a non-conforming number plate round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 12,003, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
ABI Insurance Group
Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. 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 →
26–44
out of 50
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Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution
41 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
37 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
34 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
33 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
14 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
13 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
6 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
A wheel excessively corroded, damaged or distorted
6 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
A tyre cords exposed or damaged
5 occurrences · 0.0% of tests
A footrest missing or insecure
5 occurrences · 0.0% 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 2 failures
£140–£255
If every one of this R1250'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy BMW R1250 makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
95.8%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 95.8% — a 0.3-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort, not working on dipped beam — 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
95.5%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 95.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, excessively binding, and less than 1.0 mm thick. Average mileage on test for this band is 14,815 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (95.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (95.5% pass). That's a 0.3-point spread across 10,910 older tests and 430 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
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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 an R1250 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.
