Car statistics by year

2020 BMW 1 Series

BMW 1 Series cars first registered in 2020: 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 2020, so like is set against like.

A year of the BMW 1 Series. “2020” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
20,823 MOT tests of 2020 BMW 1 Series cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 87.8% All 2020 cars 86.9%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 38,800 miles; all 2020 cars 36,000
  • Left at the end of 2025 20,304 97.1% of the 20,912 at the end of 2020
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 4.9% All 2020 cars 4.7%
  • Tests with an advisory 35.4% All 2020 cars 38.2%
  • MOT tests in 2025 20,823 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2020 BMW 1 Series do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 5 years old, 87.8% of 2020 BMW 1 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 86.9% for all cars first registered in 2020. 2020 BMW 1 Series did about as well as average for their age. A year earlier the same cars passed 89.3% of the time (all 2020 cars 88.0%).

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
’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%
’16 79.6%75.6%
’17 82.0%79.1%
’18 83.6%81.8%
’19 85.5%84.4%
’20 87.8%86.9%
’21 90.4%88.4%
’22 91.0%89.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2020 BMW 1 Series

Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords was the most common single reason a 2020 BMW 1 Series failed, on 18.6% of about 2,500 failed tests. By area of the car, tyres failed most often (52.9% of failed tests; all 2020 cars 39.8%). 4.9% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 4.7% for all cars first registered in 2020. 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 2020 BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 18.6%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 13.5%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres 8.9%
Tyres: bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres 7.8%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension 6.5%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility 6.4%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes 5.9%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility 4.4%
Brake pads: worn down to wear indicator Brakes 4.3%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks 4.2%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: BMW 1 Series vs all 2020 cars

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

Share of failed 2020 BMW 1 Series MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2020 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Tyres 52.9%
Visibility 13.3%
Brakes 12.6%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.1%
Suspension 9.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks 4.8%
Body, chassis, structure 4.2%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 2.7%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2020 BMW 1 Series

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 35.4% of 2020 BMW 1 Series tests had at least one (all 2020 cars 38.2%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2020 BMW 1 Series tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 16.1%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 10.0%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 6.4%
Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 3.5%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 2.9%
Nail in tyre Non-component advisories 2.1%
Tyres: slightly damaged Tyres 1.7%
Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories 1.7%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes 1.4%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 1.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2020 BMW 1 Series?

Half of the 2020 BMW 1 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 38,800 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 29,100 and a quarter more than 50,700. For all cars first registered in 2020, the middle figure was 36,000 miles, so 2020 BMW 1 Series have been driven 7.8% 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, 2020 BMW 1 Series and all 2020 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2020 BMW 1 Series 21,300 29,100 38,800 50,700 65,100 19,791
All 2020 cars 17,200 25,300 36,000 49,000 63,900 1,452,206
miles

Half of the 2020 BMW 1 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 38,800 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2020 BMW 1 Series are left?

At the end of 2020, 20,912 2020 BMW 1 Series were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2025, 20,304 were: 20,220 licensed and 84 declared off the road (SORN). That is 97.1% still on the record, against 96.9% for all cars first registered in 2020.

Share still on the record since 2020

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2020. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2020 BMW 1 Series on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2020, compared with all 2020 cars
Year end 2020 BMW 1 SeriesAll 2020 cars
2020 100.0%100.0%
2021 100.2%99.4%
2022 99.1%98.4%
2023 96.3%95.6%
2024 97.9%96.7%
2025 97.1%96.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2020

2 of the BMW 1 Series’s 39 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2020. 2 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2020 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2020 may have been built in 2019, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

BMW 1 Series recalls whose build dates include 2020
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
27 Jul 2020 Camshaft support housing bearing caps may become loose 18 Feb 2020 to 28 Feb 2020 39 (all models)
27 Apr 2020 The driver's air bag fabric could be damaged by the air bag cover during deployment 28 Jan 2020 to 11 Mar 2020 1,121 (all models)

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 20,823 MOT tests of 2020 BMW 1 Series cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 20,304 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 2020; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2020.
  • 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.