BMW i3 MOT failure rate and common faults
26,184 BMW i3 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 13.1% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 18.3% of the time, which makes the BMW i3 28% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
13.1%
failed first time
26,184 MOT tests in 2025
-28%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 18.3%
27 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
52.8
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 76.3
What fails on a BMW i3 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 i3 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 27.0 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 25.1 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 23.7 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 13.7 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 13.4 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 10.7 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 9.1 |
| Side repeaters: not working | Lights and electrics | 6.3 |
| Tyres: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure | Tyres | 6.2 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 4.7 |
BMW i3 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 | 2,922 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 19,600 |
| 2021 | 3,507 | 8.9% | 12.8% | 25,100 |
| 2020 | 4,097 | 11.3% | 14.1% | 31,200 |
| 2019 | 4,050 | 11.5% | 16.5% | 38,300 |
| 2018 | 3,106 | 11.3% | 19.1% | 46,700 |
| 2017 | 3,164 | 15.8% | 21.8% | 58,500 |
| 2016 | 2,159 | 18.2% | 25.1% | 61,300 |
| 2015 | 1,887 | 17.9% | 28.1% | 64,000 |
| 2014 | 1,173 | 20.6% | 31.4% | 67,400 |
Advisories to look for in a BMW i3'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 i3, 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 edge260.6
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing231.6
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened102.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin43.1
- Road Wheels: slightly distorted35.0
- Tyres: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords22.6
Checking a used BMW i3 before you buy
The BMW i3 has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
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.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
Look for chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight, and test the wipers and washers. Windscreen damage in the swept area is an MOT failure.
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 i3 cars tested: Electric 68%, Hybrid 32%. Average age at test 6.4 years, average recorded mileage 42,000.
BMW i3 MOT questions
What is the BMW i3 MOT failure rate?
13.1% of BMW i3 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 26,184 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 18.3% of the time, so the BMW i3 was 28% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a BMW i3 MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 77 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded 27.0 times per 1,000 tests.
Which BMW i3 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2018 registrations did best: 11.3% failed against an average of 19.1% 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 i3 will pass?
No. These are averages across every BMW i3 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 3 Series23.5% failed
- BMW 1 Series24.0% failed
- BMW 5 Series19.6% failed
- BMW 2 Series16.5% failed
- BMW X117.6% failed
- BMW 4 Series16.6% failed
Ranked close to the BMW i3
- Mercedes-Benz GLErank 24
- Volvo XC40rank 25
- Range Rover Sportrank 26
- Mini Countrymanrank 28
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 i3 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.