MOT fail rates by first-use year

2015 BMW i3 MOT fail rate and common faults

How BMW i3 cars first used in 2015 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 7,708 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 10 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 10 (n=1,894)17.8%

All cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507)30.3%

Difference−12.5 pts

MOT tests of 2015 cars, 2022 to 20257,708

What stands out

In 2025, at 10 years old, BMW i3 cars first used in 2015 failed 17.8% of MOTs (1,894 tests), 12.5 points below the 30.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 7 to 10 years old, the fail rate moved from 13.4% to 17.8%.
BMW i3 cars first used a year earlier, in 2014, failed 17.8% at the same age of 10 years (1,192 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the BMW i3 at 10 years, is airbag (SRS) warning light on, at 1.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 0.4).

MOT fail rate by test year

BMW i3 cars first used in 2015: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	7 years	13.4%	1,949	20.6%	−7.2 pts
2023	8 years	13.9%	1,940	23.8%	−9.9 pts
2024	9 years	17.5%	1,925	27.1%	−9.6 pts
2025	10 years	17.8%	1,894	30.3%	−12.5 pts

Most common faults at 10 years

These figures cover all BMW i3 MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2013 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=3,212). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	2.6	1.8
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.4	2.7
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Wear	1.7	1.2
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Wear	1.5	1.5
Airbag (SRS) warning light on	1.5	0.4
Coil spring broken	1.1	3.2
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Wear	1.0	1.0
Side repeaters: not working Wear	0.9	0.5
Tyre with cords exposed Wear	0.7	1.4

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=3,212). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	15.2	8.6
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	14.7	17.0
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	13.4	9.6
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	7.0	8.1
Road wheel condition: slightly distorted	3.2	0.8
Coil spring: corroded	2.6	2.9
Windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view	2.1	2.4
Tyre tread close to the legal limit, under the 1.0 mm rule Wear	1.8	2.2
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	1.6	2.7
Tyre condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Wear	1.6	1.3

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=3,212). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 10 years

These figures cover all BMW i3 MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2013 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=3,212). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Hybrid	68.9%	18.2%	2,212	21.1%	66,082 miles
Electric	31.1%	16.7%	1,000	33.7%	47,140 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 10 years

These figures cover all BMW i3 MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2013 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=3,212). At 10 years, BMW i3 cars at 60,000 to 90,000 miles failed more often (19.1%, n=1,071) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (15.3%, n=1,251). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles	15.3%	1,251	24.7%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	19.1%	1,071	31.9%

Car tax rules for a 2015 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.
Electric cars have paid vehicle tax since 1 April 2025, under the rules for their registration date.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
Hybrids follow the Euro standard of their petrol or diesel engine.
Fully electric cars do not pay the ULEZ charge.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the BMW i3

2014 BMW i3 2016 BMW i3

Other BMW models first used in 2015

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
BMW 1 Series (2015)	10 years in 2025	22.0%	31,588	30.3%
BMW 3 Series (2015)	10 years in 2025	20.2%	31,332	30.3%
BMW 4 Series (2015)	10 years in 2025	19.6%	17,983	30.3%
BMW 5 Series (2015)	10 years in 2025	16.4%	16,645	30.3%
BMW 2 Series (2015)	10 years in 2025	21.3%	16,692	30.3%
BMW X3 (2015)	10 years in 2025	21.5%	7,064	30.3%
BMW X5 (2015)	10 years in 2025	15.2%	6,771	30.3%
BMW X1 (2015)	10 years in 2025	21.7%	4,622	30.3%

More on the BMW i3

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2015 BMW i3 cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.