BMW M3 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 86.5% of BMW M3 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 15,729 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
93.2%
All cars: 86.1% (7.1 points better). 961 tests.
At 6–10 years
89.4%
All cars: 76.1% (13.3 points better). 3,212 tests.
At 11 years and over
85.1%
All cars: 61.3% (23.8 points better). 11,546 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 692 | 92.9% | 87.8% | 23,750 miles |
| 4 | 269 | 94.1% | 86.4% | 28,750 miles |
| 6 | 425 | 88.9% | 81.9% | 36,250 miles |
| 7 | 1,002 | 88.8% | 79.3% | 43,750 miles |
| 8 | 784 | 89.0% | 76.3% | 48,750 miles |
| 9 | 656 | 90.7% | 73.1% | 58,750 miles |
| 10 | 345 | 90.1% | 70.0% | 66,250 miles |
| 11 | 333 | 92.5% | 66.9% | 53,750 miles |
| 12 | 478 | 87.7% | 64.4% | 58,750 miles |
| 13 | 648 | 90.1% | 62.1% | 63,750 miles |
| 14 | 636 | 89.3% | 60.2% | 71,250 miles |
| 15 | 692 | 89.2% | 58.6% | 78,750 miles |
| 16 | 808 | 86.6% | 57.5% | 81,250 miles |
| 17 | 832 | 84.4% | 57.2% | 88,750 miles |
| 18 | 232 | 86.6% | 57.0% | 83,750 miles |
| 19 | 724 | 86.9% | 57.2% | 88,750 miles |
| 20+ | 6,163 | 82.7% | 61.4% | 98,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of BMW M3 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | M3 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.6% | 16.6% |
| Tyres | 4.8% | 8.4% |
| Brakes | 4.1% | 10.2% |
| Suspension | 3.9% | 13.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 2.0% | 5.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 0.8% | 4.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0.8% | 1.1% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 1.7% of tests
- Headlamp aim: too low failed 1.2% of tests · what this means
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 1.1% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 1.0% of tests
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 1.0% of tests
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 1.0% of tests · what this means
- Headlamp aim: too high failed 0.9% of tests · what this means
- Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits failed 0.8% of tests · what this means
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 0.7% of tests · what this means
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid failed 0.7% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular M3?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every M3 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 99.9%, diesel 0.1%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.0%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other BMW models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.