BMW 3 Series MOT failure rate and common faults
426,117 BMW 3 Series cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 23.5% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 30.0% of the time, which makes the BMW 3 Series 22% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
23.5%
failed first time
426,117 MOT tests in 2025
-22%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 30.0%
45 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
112.7
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 109.4
What fails on a BMW 3 Series MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common BMW 3 Series MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 34.4 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 30.7 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 26.2 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 22.8 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 19.1 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 15.6 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 15.6 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 15.1 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 15.0 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 14.1 |
BMW 3 Series MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11,262 | 14.7% | 11.4% | 40,200 |
| 2021 | 22,170 | 13.0% | 12.8% | 47,500 |
| 2020 | 19,646 | 12.9% | 14.1% | 52,300 |
| 2019 | 24,865 | 13.0% | 16.5% | 57,700 |
| 2018 | 24,316 | 14.3% | 19.1% | 67,900 |
| 2017 | 30,407 | 15.6% | 21.8% | 79,400 |
| 2016 | 31,251 | 16.8% | 25.1% | 88,000 |
| 2015 | 31,200 | 20.3% | 28.1% | 96,800 |
| 2014 | 31,296 | 24.4% | 31.4% | 106,800 |
| 2013 | 33,242 | 26.9% | 34.3% | 110,900 |
| 2012 | 31,098 | 31.9% | 36.6% | 116,800 |
| 2011 | 25,224 | 30.8% | 38.8% | 122,600 |
| 2010 | 23,048 | 32.1% | 40.7% | 124,800 |
| 2009 | 20,390 | 33.2% | 41.8% | 123,300 |
| 2008 | 19,192 | 32.2% | 42.9% | 125,500 |
| 2007 | 21,769 | 31.9% | 42.7% | 130,700 |
| 2006 | 15,797 | 32.6% | 43.0% | 135,800 |
| 2005 | 9,944 | 33.9% | 42.4% | 131,200 |
Advisories to look for in a BMW 3 Series's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the BMW 3 Series, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge324.0
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened97.3
- Brake pads: wearing thin90.7
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement88.4
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil74.0
- Flexible brake hoses: slightly deteriorated58.6
Checking a used BMW 3 Series before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the BMW 3 Series fails more often than average on tyres and wheels. Start there.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Wheels
Look for damaged rims, missing wheel nuts and cracked alloys, particularly on the inside edge where kerb damage hides.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the BMW 3 Series cars tested: Diesel 61%, Petrol 29%, Hybrid 9%. Average age at test 11.2 years, average recorded mileage 97,700.
BMW 3 Series MOT questions
What is the BMW 3 Series MOT failure rate?
23.5% of BMW 3 Series cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 426,117 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 30.0% of the time, so the BMW 3 Series was 22% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a BMW 3 Series MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 122 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded 34.4 times per 1,000 tests.
Which BMW 3 Series year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2016 registrations did best: 16.8% failed against an average of 25.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular BMW 3 Series will pass?
No. These are averages across every BMW 3 Series tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other BMW models
- BMW 1 Series24.0% failed
- BMW 5 Series19.6% failed
- BMW 2 Series16.5% failed
- BMW X117.6% failed
- BMW 4 Series16.6% failed
- BMW X318.8% failed
Ranked close to the BMW 3 Series
- Honda Jazzrank 42
- Audi Q3rank 44
- Toyota RAV4rank 46
- Mercedes-Benz CLSrank 47
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many BMW 3 Series cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.