Bentley Continental 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 1,059 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 88 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 12 in every 100130 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 20 yearsabout 66,680 miles
First tests counted: 1,059

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2005 Bentley Continental vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol engine warning light, 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 130 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 30 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Brake discs (front)

Noted on 32 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time: 88in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 2in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 10in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 87.7% of 1,059 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 89.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 10 not fixed make the 12 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2004	85 in every 100	971
2005 This car	88 in every 100	1,059
2006	87 in every 100	994
2007	90 in every 100	1,280
2008	91 in every 100	845
2009	91 in every 100	407
2010	90 in every 100	524
2011	90 in every 100	523
2012	92 in every 100	705
2013	91 in every 100	691
2014	93 in every 100	720
2015	95 in every 100	764
2016	94 in every 100	811
2017	95 in every 100	623
2018	96 in every 100	573
2019	97 in every 100	771
2020	97 in every 100	593
2021	96 in every 100	389
2022	96 in every 100	433

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2005 Bentley Continental reliable?

The 2005 Bentley Continental follows the pattern of the model years either side. In 2025, 87.7% of 1,059 first MOTs on the 2005 Bentley Continental passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 89.5%. Among 130 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Petrol engine warning light appears more often than on similar cars (23.1% of those tests; 30 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Bentley Continental 2005?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Petrol engine warning light (23.1% of those tests; 30 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Petrol engine warning light stand out?

Petrol engine warning light shows up more often than on similar cars (23.1% of those tests; 30 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.

What are common problems with the 2005 Bentley Continental?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2005 Bentley Continental include Petrol engine warning light. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.

What does this Bentley Continental 2005 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2005 Bentley Continental (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.