BMW Z3 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the BMW Z3 took 12,574 MOT tests in Britain and passed 68% of them first time, below 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: 12,574
First-time pass rate: 68%
All cars: 71%

What the Z3 fails on

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

Lights and electrics11.8% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes11.2% (all cars 6.8%)
Suspension10.5% (all cars 9.0%)
Exhaust and emissions7.8% (all cars 3.1%)
Visibility6.7% (all cars 4.8%)
Seat belts and airbags3.9% (all cars 1.0%)
Body and structure3.8% (all cars 3.5%)
Tyres3.5% (all cars 6.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Position lamp: not working 3.4%
SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault 3.3%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 2.8%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 2.7%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 2.5%
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits 2.5%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 2.4%
Anti-lock braking system: warning lamp indicates an ABS fault 2.2%

Most common advisories

Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 20.4%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 10.5%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 10.2%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.7%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.3%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 6.3%
Coil spring: corroded 5.1%
Flexible brake hoses: slightly deteriorated 5.0%

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
1997	1,768	62%
1998	2,651	66%
1999	2,978	69%
2000	2,018	70%
2001	1,882	69%
2002	1,147	71%

Check a particular Z3

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.