Bentley Continental common problems and MOT failures
What goes wrong on a used Bentley Continental, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 42,635 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.
The 2026 Bentley Continental
Cars registered in 2026 haven’t had their first MOT yet (it’s due at 3 years old), so there are no MOT results to show. There are no known faults on record for this year in the UK buying guides we use, so the rest of this page covers the Bentley Continental as a whole.
What to check on a 2026 car
- Warranty left
Ask for the date it was first registered and check how much of the maker’s warranty is left, and that it transfers to you. Electric and hybrid batteries usually have a longer, separate warranty.
- Servicing
Servicing on time with the maker’s schedule keeps the warranty valid. Ask for the service book or the dealer’s digital record.
- Finance
Nearly new cars are often still on finance. A history check shows outstanding finance, and whether it has been written off or stolen.
- Recalls
Ask whether any recall work has been done, and check the reg on GOV.UK’s free recall checker.
- Logbook (V5C)
The name and address should match the seller, and the VIN on the V5C should match the car.
Other years
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).
2026202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993
What usually goes wrong with a Bentley Continental?
We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Bentley Continental 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.
Bentley Continental MOT pass rate by year
Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2007 Bentley Continental did best (90% passed first time, 33 points above all 2007 cars) and the 2021 did worst (95%, 8 points above all 2021 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.
| Year | Pass first time | All cars that year | MOT tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 97% | 89% +8 | 470 (small sample) |
| 2021 | 95% | 87% +8 | 814 |
| 2020 | 96% | 87% +9 | 1,884 |
| 2019 | 95% | 85% +10 | 2,413 |
| 2018 | 95% | 83% +12 | 1,777 |
| 2017 | 94% | 80% +14 | 1,934 |
| 2016 | 94% | 77% +17 | 2,514 |
| 2015 | 94% | 74% +20 | 2,401 |
| 2014 | 93% | 70% +23 | 2,251 |
| 2013 | 92% | 67% +25 | 2,173 |
| 2012 | 92% | 64% +28 | 2,214 |
| 2011 | 90% | 62% +28 | 1,672 |
| 2010 | 90% | 60% +30 | 1,627 |
| 2009 | 91% | 59% +32 | 1,263 |
| 2008 | 89% | 57% +32 | 2,664 |
| 2007 | 90% | 57% +33 | 4,009 |
| 2006 | 88% | 56% +32 | 3,321 |
| 2005 | 88% | 57% +31 | 3,460 |
| 2004 | 86% | 57% +29 | 3,218 |
| 1998 | 92% | 65% +27 | 132 (small sample) |
| 1997 | 91% | 65% +26 | 184 (small sample) |
| 1996 | 85% | 66% +19 | 130 (small sample) |
| 1994 | 77% | 67% +10 | 110 (small sample) |
Looking at a Bentley Continental?
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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