Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025
BMW R850: MOT pass rate by registration year
Which R850 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 86.7% average, from 16,654 DVSA tests.
Pass rate by registration year
Highest pass rate: 2005 (91.4% of 663 tests). Lowest: 1996 (82.6% of 1,355). Years more than two points below the model average: 1995, 1996, 1997.
| Registered | Tests | First-time pass | vs model (86.7%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 711 | 82.7% | -4.0 pp |
| 1996 | 1,355 | 82.6% | -4.1 pp |
| 1997 | 1,473 | 83.8% | -2.9 pp |
| 1998 | 1,264 | 85.1% | -1.6 pp |
| 1999 | 1,293 | 86.2% | -0.5 pp |
| 2000 | 2,823 | 87.0% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 2,201 | 88.5% | +1.8 pp |
| 2002 | 1,475 | 87.2% | +0.5 pp |
| 2003 | 1,788 | 88.9% | +2.2 pp |
| 2004 | 1,515 | 88.3% | +1.6 pp |
| 2005 | 663 | 91.4% | +4.7 pp |
| 2006 | 59 | 89.8% | +3.1 pp |
Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years. A first-time MOT pass is a roadworthiness check, not a full mechanical inspection.
Pass rate over time
Questions
- Which R850 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
- 1995, 1996, 1997 registered examples pass first time less often than the BMW R850 overall (86.7%); the 1996 cohort is lowest at 82.6% from 1,355 tests.
- Which R850 year has the highest MOT pass rate?
- 2005, at 91.4% of 663 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 2003, 2005, 2006.
- How much does the R850 pass rate vary by year?
- 8.8 percentage points between the highest (2005, 91.4%) and lowest (1996, 82.6%) cohorts with at least 50 tests. Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.
Full report: BMW R850 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1985 of 5428 models· other BMW models: R1200, R1150, S1000, F800, K Series, K1200