BMW 1 Series MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the BMW 1 Series took 394,581 MOT tests in Britain and passed 76% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 394,581
First-time pass rate: 76%
All cars: 71%

What the 1 Series fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Lights and electrics9.0% (all cars 11.3%)
Tyres7.6% (all cars 6.4%)
Brakes5.2% (all cars 6.8%)
Suspension4.6% (all cars 9.0%)
Visibility4.4% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions2.1% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure1.1% (all cars 3.5%)
Wheels0.9% (all cars 0.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.1%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 2.2%
Position lamp: not working 2.1%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 2.1%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.9%
Headlamp aim: too low 1.6%
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 1.4%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 20.6%
Brake pads: wearing thin 9.2%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.3%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 4.5%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.4%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.5%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 3.1%
Flexible brake hoses: slightly deteriorated 3.1%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
2004	2,092	61%
2005	7,684	63%
2006	10,404	62%
2007	11,848	64%
2008	17,672	66%
2009	21,430	66%
2010	24,641	67%
2011	23,608	69%
2012	29,992	69%
2013	37,663	73%
2014	31,349	76%
2015	32,077	80%
2016	32,418	82%
2017	33,381	84%
2018	27,421	86%
2019	28,065	88%
2020	21,563	89%
2021	1,230	94%

Typical mileage by age

Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.

Age at test	Average mileage
3 years	25,346 miles
4 years	32,552 miles
5 years	41,509 miles
6 years	51,256 miles
7 years	61,559 miles
8 years	70,273 miles
9 years	79,407 miles
10 years	86,448 miles
11 years	92,838 miles
12 years	98,190 miles
13 years	104,631 miles
14 years	107,013 miles
15 years	111,983 miles
16 years	115,980 miles
17 years	124,349 miles
18 years	129,292 miles
19 years	123,785 miles

Check a particular 1 Series

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other BMW models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.