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1997 BMW 740i Auto — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years
Current Age
70.6%
Latest Pass Rate
200
Total Tests (All Years)
118,802 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 740i Auto

Compared to Average at Age 15

This car: 70.6%
Average: 52.4%

✅ 18.2% above average (11197 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1997 BMW 740i Auto as it ages.

12 yrs55.3%
13 yrs54.2%
14 yrs54.8%
15 yrs70.6%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 12 to 15 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
12 yrs55.3%76
13 yrs54.2%48
14 yrs54.8%42
15 yrs70.6%34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 BMW 740i Auto pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 4 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2012 (15 yrs)70.6%34
2011 (14 yrs)54.8%42
2010 (13 yrs)54.2%48
2009 (12 yrs)55.3%76

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
55.3%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 76Avg Mileage 122,275Top Failure Brakes — 25.0%
2010High Fail Rate
54.2%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 48Avg Mileage 121,941Top Failure Brakes — 27.1%
2011High Fail Rate
54.8%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 42Avg Mileage 144,937Top Failure Suspension — 21.4%
2012
70.6%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 34Avg Mileage 118,802Top Failure Brakes — 20.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 BMW 740i Auto, with age trends.

Brakes
23.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
20.1%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
19.1%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
14.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Driver's View of the Road
14.0%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment19.7% (12 yrs)8.8% (15 yrs)
-10.9%
🟢 ↓
Driver's View of the Road14.5% (12 yrs)5.9% (15 yrs)
-8.6%
🟢 ↓
Suspension22.4% (12 yrs)17.6% (15 yrs)
-4.8%
🟢 ↓
Brakes25.0% (12 yrs)20.6% (15 yrs)
-4.4%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the BMW 740i Auto page →

About This Data

This page shows how BMW 740i Auto cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2012, covering 200 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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