BMW 3 Series MOT Check

MOT pass rates, common failures, and reliability data for the BMW 3 Series. Check any 3 Series by registration number below.

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78.1%

Avg Pass Rate

-11.8%

vs BMW Avg

Year Ranges

Good

Reliability

BMW 3 Series — MOT Reliability Overview

The BMW 3 Series has an average MOT pass rate of 78.1%, which is 11.8 percentage points below the BMW brand average of 89.9%. This is a reasonable result that reflects typical UK reliability standards. Regular servicing and addressing advisories promptly will help keep your 3 Series on the road.

The most common reasons a BMW 3 Series fails its MOT are 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 shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning. If you are preparing your 3 Series for its MOT, checking these areas first could save you a retest fee. Our detailed fault analysis includes estimated repair costs for each failure type.

Typical mileage for the 3 Series is around 45,000 miles at 5 years. When evaluating a used 3 Series, compare the odometer reading against these benchmarks. Significantly lower mileage than expected could indicate a clocked vehicle — run a free mileage check to verify.

Before buying a used BMW 3 Series, we recommend checking the full MOT history, write-off status, outstanding finance, and stolen vehicle status. These checks can be done for free using the registration number.

MOT Pass Rate by Year

How the BMW 3 Series performs at MOT across different model years.

2021

Based on 849 vehicles

92.6%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

3.3%

Retest Rate

10.3%

Mileage at 3yr

44k mi

2020

Based on 10,127 vehicles

89.3%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

3.5%

Retest Rate

11.3%

Mileage at 3yr

49k mi

Mileage at 5yr

74k mi

2019

Based on 36,812 vehicles

90.0%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

3.3%

Retest Rate

10.2%

Mileage at 3yr

52k mi

Mileage at 5yr

78k mi

2018

Based on 26,214 vehicles

89.8%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

3.7%

Retest Rate

11.1%

Mileage at 5yr

77k mi

2017

Based on 10,947 vehicles

89.0%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

4.0%

Retest Rate

11.3%

Mileage at 5yr

90k mi

2016

Based on 68,178 vehicles

88.4%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

3.9%

Retest Rate

12.0%

2015

Based on 84,947 vehicles

87.0%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

4.1%

Retest Rate

13.8%

Mileage at 10yr

155k mi

2014

Based on 84,758 vehicles

84.3%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

4.4%

Retest Rate

16.7%

Mileage at 10yr

161k mi

2013

Based on 93,115 vehicles

81.6%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

4.8%

Retest Rate

19.8%

Mileage at 10yr

159k mi

2012

Based on 89,426 vehicles

77.3%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.5%

Retest Rate

23.1%

Mileage at 10yr

167k mi

2011

Based on 76,147 vehicles

76.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.9%

Retest Rate

23.7%

2010

Based on 70,006 vehicles

74.8%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

6.0%

Retest Rate

24.2%

2009

Based on 64,219 vehicles

74.3%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

6.4%

Retest Rate

24.7%

2008

Based on 64,885 vehicles

75.3%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

6.0%

Retest Rate

22.5%

2007

Based on 75,099 vehicles

75.6%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.9%

Retest Rate

21.8%

2006

Based on 55,386 vehicles

75.2%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.9%

Retest Rate

21.4%

2005

Based on 34,694 vehicles

73.4%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

6.0%

Retest Rate

22.5%

2004

Based on 25,793 vehicles

72.1%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

6.0%

Retest Rate

22.8%

2003

Based on 26,671 vehicles

72.5%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.9%

Retest Rate

23.7%

2002

Based on 20,775 vehicles

73.3%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.1%

Retest Rate

22.1%

2001

Based on 13,221 vehicles

72.1%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.8%

Retest Rate

23.2%

2000

Based on 6,981 vehicles

71.8%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

5.5%

Retest Rate

22.0%

1999

Based on 9,290 vehicles

73.5%Average

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.6%

Retest Rate

20.0%

1998

Based on 110,000 vehicles

0.8%Poor

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

0.0%

Retest Rate

0.1%

Mileage at 3yr

26k mi

Mileage at 5yr

45k mi

Mileage at 10yr

88k mi

1997

Based on 5,576 vehicles

76.8%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.2%

Retest Rate

17.0%

1996

Based on 3,793 vehicles

77.7%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.2%

Retest Rate

16.1%

1995

Based on 2,433 vehicles

77.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.3%

Retest Rate

17.3%

1994

Based on 1,504 vehicles

76.4%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.7%

Retest Rate

14.6%

1993

Based on 1,451 vehicles

79.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.3%

Retest Rate

13.8%

1992

Based on 1,616 vehicles

82.9%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.5%

Retest Rate

12.6%

1991

Based on 2,325 vehicles

82.0%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.7%

Retest Rate

12.1%

1990

Based on 4,054 vehicles

82.8%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.3%

Retest Rate

11.5%

1989

Based on 2,924 vehicles

83.2%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.3%

Retest Rate

13.8%

1988

Based on 1,882 vehicles

84.8%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.5%

Retest Rate

10.4%

1987

Based on 1,107 vehicles

83.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.5%

Retest Rate

11.7%

1986

Based on 592 vehicles

76.4%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

2.1%

Retest Rate

18.6%

1985

Based on 236 vehicles

77.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

1.8%

Retest Rate

13.9%

1984

Based on 212 vehicles

82.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

0.6%

Retest Rate

7.2%

1982

Based on 81 vehicles

91.4%Excellent

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

0.0%

1981

Based on 40 vehicles

77.5%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Dangerous Defects

0.0%

Retest Rate

18.5%

0

Based on 495,173 vehicles

80.7%Good

BMW average: 89.9%

Mileage at 5yr

106k mi

Top MOT Failures — BMW 3 Series

The most common reasons a BMW 3 Series fails its MOT, aggregated across all year ranges.

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

3.1%

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

2.1%

Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

1.9%

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

1.9%

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

1.9%

BMW 3 Series Common Faults & Repair Costs

Where Failures Occur

The areas of the vehicle most commonly flagged during MOT inspections.

Rear Nearside

2.4%

Front Nearside

2.4%

Front Offside

1.6%

Typical Mileage — BMW 3 Series

Average mileage readings recorded at MOT tests for the 1998 model year range. Use these benchmarks to evaluate a used 3 Series.

At 3 Years

26,000

miles

At 5 Years

45,000

miles

At 10 Years

88,000

miles

Other BMW Models

Compare MOT reliability across BMW models.

BMW 420d Xdrive M Sport Mhev Auto

90.4% pass rate

BMW X2 Sdrive18d Sport

87.3% pass rate

BMW X2 Sdrive18d M Sport X Auto

87.0% pass rate

BMW 550

82.4% pass rate

BMW 316 I

89.0% pass rate

BMW 540i Xdrive M Sport Mhev Auto

75.6% pass rate

Useful MOT Guides

Common MOT Failures

The most common reasons UK vehicles fail their MOT — and how to prepare.

MOT Checklist

Pre-MOT checklist to improve your chances of passing first time.

Advisory vs Failure

Understanding the difference between MOT advisories and failures.

See detailed fault analysis for BMW 3 Series

BMW 3 Series — Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the BMW 3 Series MOT and reliability.

What is the MOT pass rate for the BMW 3 Series?

The average MOT pass rate for the BMW 3 Series is 78.1% compared to the BMW average of 89.9%. Pass rates vary by year — check the year-by-year breakdown on this page for details.

What are the most common MOT failures on a BMW 3 Series?

The most common MOT failures on the BMW 3 Series are: 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 (3.1%), A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage (2.1%), Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (1.9%). These are the components most likely to cause an MOT failure.

Is the BMW 3 Series reliable?

With an average MOT pass rate of 78.1%, the BMW 3 Series is rated as "Good" for reliability. This is a strong result suggesting good build quality and fewer common defects.

How do I check the MOT history of a BMW 3 Series?

Enter the vehicle's registration number in the search box at the top of this page. You will instantly see the complete MOT history including every test result, mileage readings, advisories, and dangerous defects — completely free.

What mileage should I expect on a BMW 3 Series?

Typical mileage for the BMW 3 Series: 44,414 miles at 3 years. Use these benchmarks when evaluating a used 3 Series to spot vehicles with unusually high or low mileage.

Check Your BMW 3 Series's MOT History

Enter the registration number for the full MOT history — free and instant.