BMW 120 MOT pass rate, common failures and mileage
In 2023, 77.0% of 45,188 MOT tests on the BMW 120 ended in a pass, about the same as the 76.5% average for all cars. Comparing like for like at ages 3 to 10, it passed 85.2% against 82.0%, ranking 37th of 148 models.
Pass rate and mileage by age
Each row covers the BMW 120 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2532 tests | 91.0% | 23,000 · 17k to 31k |
| 3602 tests | 89.0% | 27,000 · 19k to 39k |
| 41,102 tests | 89.4% | 37,000 · 25k to 49k |
| 51,778 tests | 88.8% | 45,000 · 33k to 59k |
| 62,931 tests | 86.7% | 55,000 · 41k to 69k |
| 73,650 tests | 86.8% | 65,000 · 49k to 81k |
| 83,195 tests | 83.3% | 75,000 · 59k to 93k |
| 93,065 tests | 79.4% | 85,000 · 67k to 103k |
| 101,940 tests | 76.2% | 89,000 · 69k to 111k |
| 113,294 tests | 72.8% | 95,000 · 71k to 117k |
| 123,711 tests | 72.8% | 101,000 · 77k to 123k |
| 133,775 tests | 72.2% | 105,000 · 81k to 129k |
| 143,985 tests | 71.6% | 111,000 · 87k to 137k |
| 153,733 tests | 71.9% | 117,000 · 91k to 141k |
| 162,722 tests | 70.8% | 131,000 · 103k to 157k |
| 172,752 tests | 71.3% | 137,000 · 109k to 163k |
| 182,234 tests | 69.1% | 133,000 · 103k to 163k |
Most common MOT failures and advisories
How often each item came up, per 100 MOT tests on the BMW 120. 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 120
The parts that come up most often in BMW 120 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.
- Brake pipes and hosesLook underneath at the metal brake pipes for heavy rust, and at the rubber hoses for cracks or bulges.
- 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.
- Wipers, washers and windscreenRun the wipers and washers, and look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
Check a specific 120
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 120?
What fails most often on a BMW 120 MOT?
What is a normal mileage for a 10-year-old BMW 120?
What do MOT testers most often advise on a BMW 120?
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.