Used car guide · 2014–2026

BMW M4 common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used BMW M4, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 37,384 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

37,384MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
21,627on the UK register
2014best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

2026202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014

What usually goes wrong with a BMW M4?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the BMW M4 in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common BMW M4 MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Coil springs

    up to 4.6× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2018 and 2019.

    Rough price £175–£400 (pair, one axle) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Look behind each wheel for a snapped spring coil, and listen for a clunk or twang when turning the wheel lock to lock with the car stopped.

BMW M4 MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2014 BMW M4 did best (87% passed first time, 17 points above all 2014 cars) and the 2020 did worst (88%, 1 point above all 2020 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
202294%89% +51,539
202191%87% +41,877
202088%87% +13,494
201988%85% +35,204
201887%83% +45,962
201786%80% +65,795
201686%77% +95,164
201586%74% +125,538
201487%70% +172,811

Questions to ask the seller before buying a BMW M4

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the coil springs? (Flagged at MOT 4.6× as often on the BMW M4 as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a BMW M4?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score