BMW 118 MOT pass rate, common failures and mileage
In 2023, 81.5% of 143,381 MOT tests on the BMW 118 ended in a pass, 5.0 points above the 76.5% average for all cars. Comparing like for like at ages 3 to 10, it passed 84.7% against 82.0%, ranking 45th of 148 models.
Pass rate and mileage by age
Each row covers the BMW 118 MOT tests at that age. Mileage shows the median and the middle half of odometer readings, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
| Age | Pass rate | Mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 214,530 tests | 91.3% | 21,000 · 15k to 29k |
| 312,134 tests | 90.6% | 25,000 · 19k to 35k |
| 410,441 tests | 88.0% | 33,000 · 25k to 45k |
| 512,197 tests | 86.8% | 41,000 · 31k to 55k |
| 614,405 tests | 86.3% | 49,000 · 37k to 65k |
| 712,468 tests | 85.1% | 59,000 · 43k to 75k |
| 87,063 tests | 83.3% | 69,000 · 53k to 89k |
| 95,836 tests | 80.0% | 81,000 · 63k to 103k |
| 104,452 tests | 76.1% | 87,000 · 67k to 109k |
| 118,593 tests | 73.5% | 97,000 · 75k to 119k |
| 1210,570 tests | 74.0% | 103,000 · 81k to 127k |
| 1310,162 tests | 71.1% | 109,000 · 85k to 133k |
| 147,281 tests | 71.8% | 117,000 · 91k to 143k |
| 155,463 tests | 71.0% | 119,000 · 95k to 145k |
| 163,595 tests | 69.5% | 125,000 · 97k to 153k |
| 172,851 tests | 70.1% | 135,000 · 107k to 161k |
| 181,215 tests | 66.9% | 139,000 · 109k to 165k |
Most common MOT failures and advisories
How often each item came up, per 100 MOT tests on the BMW 118. Advisories are things the tester noted that did not fail the car, often wear that will need attention soon. Follow an item to see what it means and how serious it is.
Failures
Advisories and minor defects
What to check on a used 118
The parts that come up most often in BMW 118 MOTs, and how to look at them on a viewing.
- Brake discs and padsAsk when the discs and pads were last replaced, and look through the wheel for a raised lip on the edge of the disc.
- Shock absorbersPush down hard on each corner: it should rise once and settle. Oil on the shock absorber body is a sign of a leak.
- Suspension and steering jointsListen for knocks over bumps and at full lock, and ask whether any suspension or steering joints have been replaced.
- Brake pipes and hosesLook underneath at the metal brake pipes for heavy rust, and at the rubber hoses for cracks or bulges.
- TyresCheck the tread across the full width of every tyre, including the inner edge, and look for cuts and bulges in the sidewalls.
Check a specific 118
Fleet averages only go so far. Enter the registration to see that car's own MOT history, mileage record and current condition, free.
Questions
What is the MOT pass rate of the BMW 118?
What fails most often on a BMW 118 MOT?
What is a normal mileage for a 10-year-old BMW 118?
What do MOT testers most often advise on a BMW 118?
Other BMW models
Overall MOT pass rate in 2023. Compare all BMW models or see every make.
How these figures are made. We counted every initial MOT test (not retests) of cars and light vans in Great Britain in 2023 from the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset, 33,842,940 tests in all. Pass rate is the share of initial tests that ended in a pass, counting faults fixed during the test. Age is whole years from first registration to the test, so a car having its first MOT a few weeks early counts as 2.
Like-for-like pass rates average each model's pass rate at ages 3 to 10 with the same age mix for every model, so a model is not flattered by a young fleet or penalised by an old one. Models are grouped by the first word of the DVSA model name, and names that cover several models are left out.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. RegTail's analysis of the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset, 2023 tests.