Car statistics by year
1988 BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series cars first registered in 1988: 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 1988, so like is set against like.
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 80.1% All 1988 cars 77.4%
- Typical mileage at the MOT 115,100 miles; all 1988 cars 84,000
- Left at the end of 2025 1,793 98.3% of the 1,824 at the end of 2014
- Tests with an advisory 43.4% All 1988 cars 41.0%
- MOT tests in 2025 603 normal tests in Great Britain
How do 1988 BMW 3 Series do at their MOT?
In 2025, at about 37 years old, 80.1% of 1988 BMW 3 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 77.4% for all cars first registered in 1988. 1988 BMW 3 Series did better than average for their age, by 2.7 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 80.2% of the time (all 1988 cars 75.8%).
MOT pass rate by year of first registration: BMW 3 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 3 Series bar with the all-cars bar beside it.
| First registered | BMW 3 Series | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| ’88 | 80.1% | 77.4% |
| ’89 | 81.2% | 76.5% |
| ’90 | 79.3% | 75.5% |
| ’91 | 80.0% | 75.5% |
| ’95 | 66.8% | 71.5% |
| ’96 | 68.6% | 70.0% |
| ’97 | 70.0% | 68.5% |
| ’98 | 68.4% | 67.1% |
| ’99 | 69.1% | 65.4% |
| ’00 | 66.5% | 63.1% |
| ’01 | 65.5% | 61.5% |
| ’02 | 66.7% | 59.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT advisories on the 1988 BMW 3 Series
An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 43.4% of 1988 BMW 3 Series tests had at least one (all 1988 cars 41.0%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.
Most common advisories
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 12.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.8% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 7.1% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.0% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 5.5% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 5.3% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 4.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 4.0% |
| Flexible brake hoses: slightly deteriorated Brakes | 3.6% |
| Component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive Suspension | 3.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What mileage is normal for a 1988 BMW 3 Series?
Half of the 1988 BMW 3 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 115,100 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 87,500 and a quarter more than 140,000. For all cars first registered in 1988, the middle figure was 84,000 miles, so 1988 BMW 3 Series have been driven 37.0% 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%.
| 10% | 25% | Median | 75% | 90% | Cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 BMW 3 Series | 67,000 | 87,500 | 115,100 | 140,000 | 168,400 | 582 |
| All 1988 cars | 26,200 | 53,700 | 84,000 | 119,800 | 153,800 | 7,358 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
How many 1988 BMW 3 Series are left?
At the end of 2014, 1,824 1988 BMW 3 Series were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 1,793 were: 355 licensed and 1,438 declared off the road (SORN). That is 98.3% still on the record, against 92.5% for all cars first registered in 1988.
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%.
| Year end | 1988 BMW 3 Series | All 1988 cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| 2015 | 99.2% | 98.8% |
| 2016 | 99.5% | 97.8% |
| 2017 | 100.4% | 97.9% |
| 2018 | 100.2% | 97.0% |
| 2019 | 101.0% | 96.4% |
| 2020 | 100.5% | 95.8% |
| 2021 | 100.3% | 95.3% |
| 2022 | 100.4% | 94.9% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | 94.2% |
| 2024 | 98.3% | 92.6% |
| 2025 | 98.3% | 92.5% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated
Recalls that may affect cars built around 1988
1 of the BMW 3 Series’s 67 recalls in DVSA’s records covers cars built during 1988. 2 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.
The 1988 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 1988 may have been built in 1987, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.
| Launched | Concern | Built | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 2021 | Excessive increase of cooling system temperature could lead to a bursting of the heater matrix radiator | 1 Mar 1987 to 1 May 1992 | 66 |
Every BMW 3 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 3 Series
32 years of the BMW 3 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 2007 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (68.1% passed first time) and the 1995 cars worst (66.8%).
| Year | Registered | Left | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | – | 1,793 | 80.1% |
| 1989 | – | 2,786 | 81.2% |
| 1990 | – | 3,420 | 79.3% |
| 1991 | – | 2,120 | 80.0% |
| 1995 | – | 2,926 | 66.8% |
| 1996 | – | 3,932 | 68.6% |
| 1997 | – | 4,847 | 70.0% |
| 1998 | – | 5,555 | 68.4% |
| 1999 | – | 7,031 | 69.1% |
| 2000 | – | 7,583 | 66.5% |
| 2001 | – | 10,968 | 65.5% |
| 2002 | – | 14,361 | 66.7% |
| 2003 | – | 16,133 | 67.2% |
| 2004 | – | 13,939 | 66.9% |
| 2005 | – | 14,137 | 66.1% |
| 2006 | – | 19,509 | 67.4% |
| 2007 | – | 25,610 | 68.1% |
| 2008 | – | 21,773 | 67.8% |
| 2009 | – | 21,621 | 66.8% |
| 2010 | – | 24,475 | 67.9% |
| 2011 | – | 26,663 | 69.2% |
| 2012 | – | 32,763 | 68.1% |
| 2013 | – | 34,496 | 73.0% |
| 2014 | 36,711 | 32,348 | 75.7% |
| 2015 | 34,505 | 31,612 | 79.7% |
| 2016 | 34,360 | 31,318 | 83.2% |
| 2017 | 33,404 | 30,114 | 84.4% |
| 2018 | 25,623 | 23,947 | 85.7% |
| 2019 | 25,122 | 24,201 | 87.0% |
| 2020 | 20,371 | 18,956 | 87.1% |
| 2021 | 22,310 | 20,374 | 87.0% |
| 2022 | 11,299 | 10,292 | 85.2% |
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
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT results and mileage | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 603 MOT tests of 1988 BMW 3 Series cars | 15 September 2026 |
| Cars on the record | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of 2025 | 1,793 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
- MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of BMW 3 Series cars first registered in 1988; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 1988.
- 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.