BMW 3 Series years to avoid: the later ones
Based on 405,944 real MOT tests from DVSA records. Each year is compared against every other car first registered the same year — otherwise the numbers would only tell you that older cars fail more, which you knew.
The short answer
Avoid 2019 to 2020. The worst is the 2020, which fails its MOT 37% more often than other cars of the same age. The 2015 is the strongest, failing 31% less often than average.
Found a BMW 3 Series you like?
Averages tell you what to expect. Its registration tells you what actually happened — every MOT, every advisory, and whether the mileage adds up.
Every 3 Series model year
Shaded rows are the years that differ most from other cars of the same age — worse, better.
| Registered | MOT tests | Fail rate | vs same-age cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,121 | 18.5% |
26% better
|
| 1996 | 1,057 | 27.4% |
about average
|
| 1997 | 1,523 | 25.5% |
17% better
|
| 1998 | 2,109 | 24.9% |
20% better
|
| 1999 | 2,857 | 28.9% |
about average
|
| 2000 | 3,086 | 29.6% |
about average
|
| 2001 | 5,669 | 29.4% |
15% better
|
| 2002 | 8,785 | 28.9% |
18% better
|
| 2003 | 11,306 | 29.5% |
18% better
|
| 2004 | 10,830 | 30.0% |
18% better
|
| 2005 | 14,558 | 28.4% |
22% better
|
| 2006 | 22,429 | 26.7% |
26% better
|
| 2007 | 29,868 | 26.0% |
26% better
|
| 2008 | 25,513 | 27.2% |
22% better
|
| 2009 | 25,002 | 27.7% |
17% better
|
| 2010 | 27,810 | 26.8% |
17% better
|
| 2011 | 29,898 | 24.6% |
19% better
|
| 2012 | 33,748 | 24.0% |
about average
|
| 2013 | 33,861 | 19.2% |
25% better
|
| 2014 | 30,919 | 16.9% |
26% better
|
| 2015 | 30,997 | 13.5% |
31% better
|
| 2016 | 25,042 | 12.3% |
27% better
|
| 2017 | 3,720 | 11.9% |
17% better
|
| 2018 | 8,736 | 11.5% |
about average
|
| 2019 | 12,118 | 11.8% |
15% worse
|
| 2020 Worst | 3,382 | 12.6% |
37% worse
|
How this is worked out
Every MOT test recorded by DVSA in 2023 on a BMW 3 Series, grouped by the year the car was first registered. Retests are excluded, so a car that failed and was fixed still counts as a failure. Each year's rate is then divided by the rate for all cars first registered that year — so 120 means 20% more failures than its contemporaries, not 20% more than a brand new car.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.