All generations and engines together · 1,148 MOT tests in the 2025 data
Not enough recent tests to rate this coupé or convertible. Watch wheels and brakes. Not enough recent MOT data to call this one yet.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
Owners repeatedly report the rear tyres, especially on the inside edge, wearing out far quicker than you'd expect for the mileage, some quoting as little as 3,000-20,000 miles on original rubber. It's put down to the factory negative camber and toe settings plus the instant torque and regen braking loading the rears harder than a petrol car would. This lines up with the measured wheels fault for this segment: the data shows a real wheel-related pattern, and the folklore explanation (aggressive alignment, not a manufacturing defect) fits it well.
The motorised charging port flap can stick closed, refuse to pop, or throw a false "charging flap is open" warning while driving. It's common enough that BMW has a documented service procedure for it (SIB 41 05 25), involving a specific push-and-lock sequence on the flap; if that doesn't clear it, dealers have replaced the whole charging door mechanism.
BMW has run UK safety recalls covering i4 cars built with incorrectly produced high-voltage battery cell modules, where a manufacturing fault in the cell terminals can lead to overheating and a fire risk. A separate recall has also covered a seatbelt retractor defect. Both are free dealer campaigns, but only if the car has actually had the work done.
Several owners report the small 12V auxiliary battery draining flat while the car sits, sometimes with an on-screen warning that convenience functions are being disabled to protect starting ability. BMW has pushed software updates aimed at fixing modules not sleeping properly, but persistent cases have needed a dealer visit to check for parasitic draw or, in some cases, a replacement 12V battery. Not officially acknowledged as a design fault, but it comes up often enough on owner forums to take seriously.
The curved iDrive 8 display can freeze mid-drive or drop to a black screen showing just the BMW logo, taking sat-nav, climate and the reversing camera down with it until it reboots or the car is left locked for a few minutes. It's most associated with early software builds on 2022-23 cars, and a full software update usually calms it down, but it isn't a formal recall, just a known annoyance discussed regularly on owner forums.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 1,148 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Coupés, convertibles & GT), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.