BMW M3 MOT pass rate, common failures and mileage
In 2023, 87.2% of 15,840 MOT tests on the BMW M3 ended in a pass, 10.7 points above the 76.5% average for all cars.
Pass rate and mileage by age
Each row covers the BMW M3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 4447 tests | 91.5% | 27,000 · 19k to 37k |
| 51,108 tests | 88.9% | 35,000 · 25k to 43k |
| 6824 tests | 88.2% | 39,000 · 29k to 51k |
| 7682 tests | 90.2% | 49,000 · 37k to 61k |
| 8384 tests | 87.8% | 53,000 · 43k to 67k |
| 9322 tests | 90.7% | 49,000 · 37k to 67k |
| 10500 tests | 89.8% | 53,000 · 39k to 67k |
| 11694 tests | 88.5% | 61,000 · 47k to 77k |
| 12651 tests | 91.6% | 65,000 · 49k to 83k |
| 13733 tests | 89.6% | 73,000 · 55k to 87k |
| 14891 tests | 87.4% | 79,000 · 63k to 97k |
| 15931 tests | 89.3% | 83,000 · 67k to 99k |
| 16253 tests | 88.5% | 79,000 · 57k to 105k |
| 17767 tests | 85.7% | 87,000 · 67k to 105k |
| 181,130 tests | 85.3% | 93,000 · 71k to 115k |
| 191,712 tests | 85.3% | 97,000 · 75k to 117k |
| 201,742 tests | 85.3% | 101,000 · 81k to 121k |
| 21809 tests | 84.9% | 107,000 · 85k to 127k |
| 25229 tests | 79.5% | 105,000 · 79k to 127k |
Most common MOT failures and advisories
How often each item came up, per 100 MOT tests on the BMW M3. 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 M3
The parts that come up most often in BMW M3 MOTs, and how to look at them on a viewing.
- Brake pipes and hosesLook underneath at the metal brake pipes for heavy rust, and at the rubber hoses for cracks or bulges.
- 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.
- Oil leaksLook under the engine and gearbox, and at the ground where the car was parked, for fresh oil.
- Wipers, washers and windscreenRun the wipers and washers, and look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
- 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 M3
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 M3?
What fails most often on a BMW M3 MOT?
What is a normal mileage for a 10-year-old BMW M3?
What do MOT testers most often advise on a BMW M3?
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.