BMW 740 reliability, MOT pass rate and rarity

Time Period & Model

Time period snapshot: Last 5 years

Manufacturer: BMW

Model: 740

Model reliability rank

MOT-based rank from 17,805 selected-period tests.

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Overall MOT pass rate

87.7%

Share of this model's 17,805 selected-period MOT tests that pass.

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Efficiency, emissions & tax

Average MPG

CO2 emission

Euro emissions

Tax cost

£305/yr

Vehicle list price over £40,000?NoYes

Average vehicle miles

92,163

Moderate average mileage in the current pool.

Life expectancy miles

109,448

Moderate mature-fleet mileage expectation.

Average vehicle age

12.2

Comfortable mid-life age pattern.

Vehicles represented

2,771

2,770 valid MOT, 1 under 3 years.

Tests analysed

17,805

17,805 MOT tests in the selected period.

Rarity ranking

Based on Make & Model

Very Rare

2,771On the road

Insight summary

BMW 740 is a very rare model in this snapshot, with 2,771 represented vehicles and 0.01% of the active UK pool tracked by AutoRank. For the last 5 years, it has a pass rate of 87.7% from 17,805 MOT tests, with a reliability score of 62. The current pool shows an average of 92,163 miles and an average age of 12.2 years, while mature-fleet mileage is estimated at 109,448 miles. Diesel leads the fuel split, followed by petrol, and the most frequent defect themes are windscreen damage, driveshaft boots and tyre condition. The practical read is that the BMW 740 looks a little better than average, but still rewards careful checks on mileage and maintenance.

Fuel type breakdown (by model)

Fuel	Vehicles
DIESEL	1,864
PETROL	895
HYBRID ELECTRIC (CLEAN)	9
ELECTRIC DIESEL	1
GAS BI-FUEL	1
LPG	1

Euro NCAP Safety

No NCAP tests found for this model.

Top 25 most common defects (by model)

Defect	Count
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))	224
Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))	86
Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	74
Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))	74
Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.1.7 (g) (ii))	71
Nearside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))	69
Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	69
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))	67
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.2.2 (g))	61
Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault (1.6 (b))	52
Front Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (0.1 (d))	51
Nearside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.1.7 (g) (ii))	51
Rear Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (0.1 (d))	51
Supplementary restraint system warning lamp indicates a fault (7.1.6 (a))	51
Offside Front Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))	50
Nearside Rear Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.2.3 (d) (i))	47
Offside Rear Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.2.3 (d) (i))	45
Front Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))	44
Nearside Front Tyre has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (5.2.3 (d) (ii))	44
Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))	41
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))	40
Offside Front Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.2.3 (d) (i))	40
Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative (5.2.3 (h))	40
Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	39
Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (a))	38

All 25 defects ranked by recorded countShowing 1,519 defects across this top 25 set

Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

224

Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))

Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))

Offside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.1.7 (g) (ii))

Nearside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))

Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))

Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.2.2 (g))

Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault (1.6 (b))

Front Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (0.1 (d))

Nearside Front Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.1.7 (g) (ii))

Rear Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (0.1 (d))

Supplementary restraint system warning lamp indicates a fault (7.1.6 (a))

Offside Front Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))

Nearside Rear Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.2.3 (d) (i))

Offside Rear Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.2.3 (d) (i))

Front Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Tyre has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))

Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))

Offside Front Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.2.3 (d) (i))

Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative (5.2.3 (h))

Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (a))

BMW 740 reliability and MOT data