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What to check: Bentley Continental

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Ranked across all years of the Bentley Continental, from its own MOT record and from what owners report. Tick it off at the car.

From this model's MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsDrive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 1.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller's upkeep rather than the model.

Tyres, all fourCheck the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 6.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 11.1%

Pads and discsLook through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 2.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 8.7%

Windscreen and wipersScan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 0.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the owner reports rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Check the ride height at start-up and after the car has sat overnight.A corner sitting visibly lower, or a compressor that runs almost continuously, points to air spring or line leaks.

Look for corrosion or dampness around the base of the radiator, and check the coolant level and top-up history.Staining or repeated top-ups mean a radiator replacement is likely getting close.

Apply and release the electronic parking brake a few times.A warning light, a brake that doesn't release cleanly, or a dragging rear wheel flags a caliper/motor fault.

Drive at a steady 50-70mph and listen for a droning or humming noise.That's usually a front wheel bearing on the way out; use it to negotiate, not to walk away.

On dual-clutch cars, pull away gently from rest a few times in a row.Noticeable hesitation or a clunky first-gear take-up is the known niggle on 2018-on cars.

On a 2021-on hybrid car, check the battery health report and look for any hybrid-system warning lights.This powertrain has no long ownership track record yet, so treat any warning as a real red flag, not a glitch.

Pull the full MOT and service history rather than trusting how the car looks.The same leak or suspension advisory showing up year after year means it's being patched, not fixed.

Full Bentley Continental reliability report