How many BMW 1 Series are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 381,377 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain392,139−0.5% on a year earlier
Declared SORN23,619Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202575.9%Cars of the same ages 72.1%
Rank by number licensedNo. 15of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year2024393,493 licensed
Average annual mileage7,413miles a year
How many BMW 1 Series are left in Great Britain?
There were 392,139 BMW 1 Series licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 23,619 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 0.3% fewer than the peak of 393,493 in 2024.
3 versions of the BMW 1 Series have their own page.
The figures above include every version; each version page covers only the cars DVLA records
under that version’s name.
In 2025, 75.9% of BMW 1 Series MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the BMW 1 Series tested pass 72.1% of the time, so the BMW 1 Series does better than average for its age, by 3.8 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 75.7%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: BMW 1 Series vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
3 years
4–5 years
6–7 years
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
BMW 1 Series
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, BMW 1 Series compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a BMW 1 Series fails its MOT,
appearing on 37.1% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
7.7% of BMW 1 Series tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed BMW 1 Series MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common BMW 1 Series MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a BMW 1 Series failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”, on 11.3% of 91,957 failed tests.
50.6% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
11.3%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension
10.0%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
19 years of the BMW 1 Series, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2008 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (65.5% passed first time) and the 2020 cars worst (87.8%).
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left:
licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025.
Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great
Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
BMW 1 Series annual mileage
The average BMW 1 Series covers 7,413 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
5k
10k
8,357
4–5 years
8,060
6–7 years
7,961
8–10 years
7,142
11–14 years
6,103
15–19 years
5,721
20+ years
Average annual mileage of a BMW 1 Series by vehicle age
Of the 399,897 BMW 1 Series licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 43.2% have an engine of 1,401cc to 1,500cc, and 42.8% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc. The share with an engine of 1,401cc to 1,500cc has grown from 0.0% in 2014 to 43.2%. Diesels made up 66.4% of those licensed in 2014 and 49.4% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
BMW 1 Series licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
1,401cc to 1,500cc 172,877 licensed
43.2%
1,901cc to 2,000cc 171,289 licensed
42.8%
1,501cc to 1,600cc 47,159 licensed
11.8%
2,001cc to 2,100cc 3,844 licensed
1.0%
Other sizes 4,728 licensed
1.2%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
1,901–2,000cc
Diesel
140,824
35.2%
1,401–1,500cc
Petrol
110,419
27.6%
1,401–1,500cc
Diesel
42,590
10.7%
1,501–1,600cc
Petrol
35,706
8.9%
1,901–2,000cc
Petrol
29,332
7.3%
1,401–1,500cc
Hybrid
19,868
5.0%
1,501–1,600cc
Diesel
11,451
2.9%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
BMW 1 Series licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Diesel
Petrol
Hybrid
2014
66.4%
33.6%
0.0%
2015
67.0%
33.0%
0.0%
2016
67.3%
32.7%
0.0%
2017
66.9%
33.1%
0.0%
2018
65.6%
34.4%
0.0%
2019
63.3%
36.7%
0.0%
2020
61.1%
38.9%
0.0%
2021
59.5%
40.5%
0.0%
2022
58.1%
41.9%
0.0%
2023
55.3%
44.7%
0.0%
2024
52.3%
46.7%
1.0%
2025
49.4%
45.3%
5.3%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
BMW 1 Series fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the BMW 1 Series from 2005, and still lists it. On the WLTP test (listings 2025 to 2026), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and petrol hybrid versions ranges from 34.0 to 53.3 mpg, with CO2 of 121 to 185 g/km. On the older NEDC test (listings 2005 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 29.4 to 83.1 mpg, with CO2 of 89 to 226 g/km.
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Engine and fuel
Combined mpg
CO2 g/km
Listed
Euro standard
Versions
2.0 petrol
34.0–37.2
173–185
2025–2026
Euro 6
1
1.5 petrol hybrid
48.7–53.3
121–130
2025–2026
Euro 6
2
2.0 petrol hybrid
44.8–47.9
135–144
2025–2026
Euro 6
1
Older NEDC figures, listed 2005 to 2018 (7 engine and fuel groups)
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2005 to 2018
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
NEDC figures (in VCA’s data until September 2018) and WLTP figures (from the 2019 guide)
come from different tests, so they are shown separately and should not be compared.
VCA’s data has no BMW versions for 2019 to 2024, so the years listed may leave out years the BMW 1 Series was on sale.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “1 Series 5-door F20, From September 2011”, “1 Series E81/E82/E87/E88”, “1 Series 3-door F21, From September 2012”, “1 Series E81/E87”. How we use VCA’s figures.
BMW 1 Series safety recalls
DVSA lists 39 safety recalls for the BMW 1 Series since 1992, the first in 2004. The most recent was launched on 12 January 2026.
Replace the Driver’s Airbag – Takata PSDI-5
Launched 12 January 2026DVSA recall R/2025/327Manufacturer ref. BMW - 0032730300
Defect
Affected vehicles may be fitted with a drivers airbag which may deploy with too much explosive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released into the cabin. It has the potential to fatally or seriously injure vehicle occupants.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every BMW 1 Series. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
