Car statistics by year

2005 BMW 1 Series

BMW 1 Series cars first registered in 2005: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2005, so like is set against like.

A year of the BMW 1 Series. “2005” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
4,457 MOT tests of 2005 BMW 1 Series cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 61.6% All 2005 cars 57.7%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 128,900 miles; all 2005 cars 103,800
  • Left at the end of 2025 5,643 29.2% of the 19,297 at the end of 2014
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 10.3% All 2005 cars 9.9%
  • Tests with an advisory 75.7% All 2005 cars 70.3%
  • MOT tests in 2025 4,457 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2005 BMW 1 Series do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 20 years old, 61.6% of 2005 BMW 1 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 57.7% for all cars first registered in 2005. 2005 BMW 1 Series did better than average for their age, by 3.9 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 60.8% of the time (all 2005 cars 56.6%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: BMW 1 Series vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each BMW 1 Series bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, BMW 1 Series compared with all cars
First registered BMW 1 SeriesAll cars
’04 61.3%57.9%
’05 61.6%57.7%
’06 62.3%56.9%
’07 64.6%57.3%
’08 65.5%57.0%
’09 65.2%58.2%
’10 66.3%59.3%
’11 67.5%61.5%
’12 66.6%63.6%
’13 70.1%66.0%
’14 73.4%69.1%
’15 77.8%72.6%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2005 BMW 1 Series

SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault was the most common single reason a 2005 BMW 1 Series failed, on 12.0% of about 1,700 failed tests. By area of the car, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment failed most often (42.4% of failed tests; all 2005 cars 49.6%). 10.3% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 9.9% for all cars first registered in 2005. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2005 BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 12.0%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension 11.5%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility 9.2%
Flexible brake hoses: excessively deteriorated Brakes 8.8%
Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes 8.1%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.0%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 7.9%
Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.3%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.1%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks 6.6%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: BMW 1 Series vs all 2005 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2005 BMW 1 Series MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2005 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 42.4%
Brakes 35.5%
Suspension 31.5%
Visibility 21.6%
Tyres 17.7%
Noise, emissions and leaks 14.3%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 13.9%
Body, chassis, structure 6.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2005 BMW 1 Series

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 75.7% of 2005 BMW 1 Series tests had at least one (all 2005 cars 70.3%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2005 BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 24.5%
Flexible brake hoses: slightly deteriorated Brakes 19.1%
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 18.9%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension 16.6%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 12.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 11.0%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 9.6%
Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension 9.3%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes 9.0%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 7.6%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2005 BMW 1 Series?

Half of the 2005 BMW 1 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 128,900 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 98,200 and a quarter more than 160,400. For all cars first registered in 2005, the middle figure was 103,800 miles, so 2005 BMW 1 Series have been driven 24.2% further than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2005 BMW 1 Series and all 2005 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2005 BMW 1 Series 73,900 98,200 128,900 160,400 187,400 4,263
All 2005 cars 53,000 75,300 103,800 136,000 168,500 411,156
miles

Half of the 2005 BMW 1 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 128,900 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2005 BMW 1 Series are left?

At the end of 2014, 19,297 2005 BMW 1 Series were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 5,643 were: 3,612 licensed and 2,031 declared off the road (SORN). That is 29.2% still on the record, against 29.5% for all cars first registered in 2005.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2005 BMW 1 Series on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 2005 cars
Year end 2005 BMW 1 SeriesAll 2005 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 97.6%95.9%
2016 95.1%91.2%
2017 90.4%83.5%
2018 84.8%74.6%
2019 78.2%65.8%
2020 70.4%58.1%
2021 61.0%50.0%
2022 52.0%44.0%
2023 43.7%38.7%
2024 35.4%33.6%
2025 29.2%29.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2005

4 of the BMW 1 Series’s 39 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2005. 2 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2005 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2005 may have been built in 2004, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

BMW 1 Series recalls whose build dates include 2005
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
18 Dec 2025 Takata Driver and/or Passenger Airbag Recall (Global VINs) 15 Apr 2004 to 4 Nov 2017 5,637
21 Oct 2024 Check Driver’s Airbag for Conversion Takata SDI & PSDI-5 15 Apr 2004 to 8 Nov 2017 172,517
18 Mar 2024 Replacing the Driver’s Airbag PSDI-5 15 Apr 2004 to 22 Dec 2005 19,190
15 Mar 2021 The blower regulator wiring could be damaged and could lead to partial contact of individual wire strands 15 Apr 2004 to 22 May 2011 181,011

Every BMW 1 Series recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the BMW 1 Series

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%).

BMW 1 Series by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2004 1,622 61.3% 57.9%
2005 5,643 61.6% 57.7%
2006 7,361 62.3% 56.9%
2007 8,939 64.6% 57.3%
2008 14,075 65.5% 57.0%
2009 17,835 65.2% 58.2%
2010 20,906 66.3% 59.3%
2011 20,809 67.5% 61.5%
2012 27,102 66.6% 63.6%
2013 33,475 70.1% 66.0%
2014 31,091 27,965 73.4% 69.1%
2015 31,725 29,409 77.8% 72.6%
2016 30,200 28,673 79.6% 75.6%
2017 28,993 27,757 82.0% 79.1%
2018 22,445 22,020 83.6% 81.8%
2019 23,835 23,063 85.5% 84.4%
2020 20,912 20,304 87.8% 86.9%
2021 15,581 15,069 90.4% 88.4%
2022 11,573 11,040 91.0% 89.4%

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.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 4,457 MOT tests of 2005 BMW 1 Series cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 5,643 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of BMW 1 Series cars first registered in 2005; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2005.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • 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.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.