BMW 3 Series
From 689,310 MOT tests. Above average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer 3 Seriess fare better: 2021 models pass at 91.5% vs 81.5% for 1987.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements and a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 15,941 failures in 2024. Checking tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm recommended) before your test can save an unnecessary fail. You can check prices at Black Circles if you need replacements. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 15,941 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 15,491 |
| a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage | 14,301 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 12,574 |
| a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 10,087 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 10,046 |
| a tyre cords visible or damaged | 9,897 |
| parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 8,445 |
| windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | 8,050 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 6,677 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 48% of 3 Series failures are safety items (worn brakes, tyre damage, steering play). The car still drives, but you shouldn't. Only 12.8% are the kind that would actually strand you. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £113.
Fuel type matters
Hybrid versions pass at 86.9% while Petrol versions pass at 77.9%, a 9 percentage point gap.
BMW 3 Series on UK roads
The fleet is shrinking: 30,392 scrapped or exported in the past year with only 10,278 newly registered, a net loss of 20,114. At this rate, roughly 28.5 years until none remain. Now at 83.2% of its peak (688,781 in 2014 Q2).
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 464,272 | 108,732 | +2,474 | -6,731 | -4,257 |
| 2025 Q2 | 470,009 | 107,252 | +2,829 | -6,760 | -3,931 |
| 2025 Q1 | 472,089 | 109,103 | +2,838 | -6,974 | -4,136 |
| 2024 Q4 | 476,763 | 108,565 | +2,137 | -9,927 | -7,790 |
| 2024 Q3 | 486,428 | 106,690 | +3,748 | -8,099 | -4,351 |
| 2024 Q2 | 491,701 | 105,768 | +4,266 | -6,312 | -2,046 |
| 2024 Q1 | 493,319 | 106,196 | +4,197 | -8,683 | -4,486 |
| 2023 Q4 | 498,831 | 105,170 | +4,345 | -7,197 | -2,852 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 330E M Sport Auto | Plug-In Hybrid Electric (Petrol) | 35,172 | 18% |
| 320I M Sport Auto | Petrol | 28,375 | 14% |
| 320D M Sport Auto | Diesel | 21,677 | 11% |
| 320D Efficientdynamics | Diesel | 11,787 | 6% |
| 335D Xdrive M Sport Auto | Diesel | 10,109 | 5% |
| 320D M Sport | Diesel | 10,081 | 5% |
| 320D Xdrive M Sport Auto | Diesel | 9,640 | 5% |
| 330D M Sport Auto | Diesel | 9,168 | 5% |
| 320D Se | Diesel | 7,759 | 4% |
| 330D Xdrive M Sport Auto | Diesel | 5,726 | 3% |
| 330I M Sport Auto | Petrol | 5,363 | 3% |
| 318D M Sport | Diesel | 5,169 | 3% |
| 320D Se Auto | Diesel | 5,051 | 3% |
| 318D Se | Diesel | 4,972 | 3% |
| 330E Sport Auto | Plug-In Hybrid Electric (Petrol) | 4,899 | 2% |
| 320D Sport | Diesel | 4,887 | 2% |
| 320I M Sport | Petrol | 4,876 | 2% |
| 320I Se | Diesel | 4,712 | 2% |
| 320I Se Auto | Diesel | 4,681 | 2% |
| 318I Se | Gas | 4,669 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 91.5% | a tyre seriously damaged, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2020 | 88.8% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2019 | 90.3% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2018 | 89.8% | a tyre seriously damaged, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
34 earlier years
| 2017 | 89.3% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2016 | 87.3% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2015 | 85.5% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2014 | 82.8% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2013 | 80.7% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2012 | 77.9% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2011 | 77% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2010 | 76% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2009 | 75.4% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2008 | 76.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage |
| 2007 | 75.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage |
| 2006 | 74.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2005 | 73.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2004 | 73.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2003 | 73.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2002 | 74.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2001 | 72.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2000 | 71.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1999 | 72.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1998 | 73.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1997 | 75.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1996 | 76.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1995 | 76.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1994 | 68.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, emissions levels exceed default limits |
| 1993 | 79% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1992 | 80% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen |
| 1991 | 80.4% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1990 | 81% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1989 | 80.9% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1988 | 85.7% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen |
| 1987 | 81.5% | windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1986 | 76.8% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen |
| 1985 | 80.6% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely to cause sudden deflation of the tyre |
| 1984 | 84.5% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen |
Typical mileage
Half of all 3 Seriess tested had between 88,289 and 149,045 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 122,448 median miles, the 3 Series has 0.017 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other BMW models
Common questions
What is the BMW 3 Series MOT pass rate?
The BMW 3 Series has a 79.2% MOT pass rate based on 689,310 real MOT tests. This is above the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a BMW 3 Series?
The most common MOT failure on the BMW 3 Series is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 15,941 failures. Other common issues include tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
How many BMW 3 Seriess are on UK roads?
There are 464,272 BMW 3 Seriess currently licensed on UK roads, with 108,732 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a BMW 3 Series at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a BMW 3 Series is 122,448 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 88,289 and 149,045 miles.
Buying a used 3 Series?
Start with the free tools. Look up the specific vehicle's MOT history on GOV.UK The mileage at each test will show if it's been wound back, and the advisory history tells you what's wearing. Cross-reference that against the typical failures above to see if anything looks unusual for this model.
The free data won't tell you about outstanding finance, theft markers, or write-off history. For that, you need a vehicle history check This is especially important on a private sale where you have fewer legal protections.
With a 79.2% pass rate and an average repair bill of £113 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Fleet data from DfT vehicle licensing statistics. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. MOT pass rates are statistical summaries of test outcomes, not assessments of individual vehicle safety or condition. Always inspect a vehicle and check its full MOT history before purchasing. See terms of use.