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MOT fail rates

BMW X1 MOT fail rate by age

How often the BMW X1 fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 414,040 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 6 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 6 (n=55,045)12.3%
All cars at 6 years (n=10,382,720)17.8%
Median mileage at test44,475
All cars, median mileage44,951

50 of 340 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 6 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the BMW X1 fails 10.1% of MOTs (37,830 tests), 2.0 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 15 years it fails 31.9% (4,858 tests), 9.7 points below the 41.6% average.
  • The gap is widest at 15 years: 9.7 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 6 years: Suspension arm bush worn, at 0.6 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 15 years 45.7%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

BMW X1: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years10.1%37,83012.1%−2.0 pts21,534 miles
4 years9.9%44,75213.4%−3.5 pts28,336 miles
5 years10.9%50,45515.3%−4.4 pts35,925 miles
6 years12.3%55,04517.8%−5.5 pts44,475 miles
7 years14.3%46,09020.6%−6.3 pts53,373 miles
8 years16.9%39,11023.8%−6.8 pts63,097 miles
9 years20.7%32,47327.1%−6.5 pts70,862 miles
10 years24.8%25,33730.3%−5.5 pts79,332 miles
11 years26.4%26,92033.3%−6.8 pts87,292 miles
12 years28.2%23,77336.0%−7.8 pts94,853 miles
13 years30.0%16,52538.3%−8.2 pts102,422 miles
14 years30.6%10,87240.3%−9.6 pts109,154 miles
15 years31.9%4,85841.6%−9.7 pts115,228 miles

Most common fail items at 6 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Suspension arm bush worn Major0.6

Out of 55,045 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major2.7
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous1.7
Wipers not clearing screen Major1
Headlight aimed too high Major1
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous0.9
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous0.9
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Major0.8
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Major0.7
Headlamp aim: too low Major0.6

Out of 55,045 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 6 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
BMW 1 Series15.5%122,01817.8%
BMW 3 Series13.4%114,16717.8%
BMW 2 Series14.7%79,09917.8%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
201015 years in 202532.0%4,43141.6%
201114 years in 202531.0%5,68940.3%
201213 years in 202530.4%5,15538.3%
201312 years in 202527.2%7,03436.0%
201411 years in 202526.6%7,73033.3%
201510 years in 202521.7%4,62230.3%
20169 years in 202517.1%12,54427.1%
20178 years in 202515.7%13,94823.8%
20187 years in 202514.0%14,70420.6%
20196 years in 202511.1%13,64017.8%
20205 years in 20259.9%7,68415.3%
20214 years in 20258.4%7,64213.4%
20223 years in 20258.5%7,46112.1%

More on the BMW X1

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.

Looking at one BMW X1?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the 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 22 September 2026.

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