BMW

Which year BMW 840 is most reliable?

Based on 1,765 vehicles (1994–1999) and millions of DVLA MOT records.

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The 840 is a relatively young model so the dataset is still maturing. All years are closely matched — differences are real but smaller than you'd see on a model with 10+ years of data.
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Not just "newer is more reliable"
These rankings compare each year at the same mileage point — a 2003 840 at 80,000 miles is judged against a 2014 840 at 80,000 miles, not its full lifetime average. Verdicts are also relative to this model's own average, not a universal scale. That's the difference between "old cars wear out" and "this year is genuinely more or less reliable."
Best year in dataset
1999
Highest pass rate at 78.1% — the strongest performer across 204 840s
Below model average
1994–1995
Lower pass rate than other 840s — worth checking the MOT history before buying
See common failures for 1994 →
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Dataset
1,765
vehicles · 1994–1999 · millions of MOT records
CarHunch sweet spot — 1996
These years hit the reliability-to-value sweet spot: a 75.3–75.3% pass rate, well above this model's median, but old enough to have depreciated significantly from peak price. If budget matters alongside reliability, start your search here.

Pass rate by year

Year Pass rate Vehicles
1999
78.1%
204
1998
76.8%
272
1997
76.5%
443
1996
75.3%
253
1995
72.9%
397 Below avg
1994
71.5%
196 Below avg

Click any year to see full MOT history, common faults and comparisons for those cars. Verdicts are relative to this model's own average — a good Land Rover year is judged differently from a good Toyota year.

How each year holds up at higher mileage

Each line is a different model year. The mileage ranges are divided into 5 equal groups based on how this model is actually driven in the real world — so you're comparing like-for-like, not arbitrary round numbers.

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At high mileage (129k–+), the 1999 models maintain a 73% pass rate — 6 points higher than 1993 models at the same mileage.

Only years with enough data across at least 3 mileage ranges are shown. Newer years appear in blue; older years in amber.

How is this measured?

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What "pass rate" means

The percentage of all MOT tests that resulted in a pass — counted across a car's whole life, not just its first test. Higher means fewer failures over time.

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Mileage groups built from real data

We split this model's real-world mileage history into 5 equal groups — so each slice contains the same number of cars, not an arbitrary round number like "0–30,000 miles."

Does age still matter?

Yes. A low-mileage 20-year-old car has still had 20 years of weather, perishing rubber, and ageing electrics. Comparing at the same mileage narrows the gap between old and new — but doesn't erase it entirely.

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Why this beats surveys

Our figures come from the DVLA's national MOT database — over 50 million real test results from accredited garages, with no opinions involved. Most reliability guides are based on owner surveys with a few hundred responses per model.

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