Car statistics by year

2018 BMW I3

BMW I3 cars first registered in 2018: 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 2018, so like is set against like.

A year of the BMW I3. “2018” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
3,106 MOT tests of 2018 BMW I3 cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 88.7% All 2018 cars 81.8%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 43,200 miles; all 2018 cars 50,000
  • Left at the end of 2025 3,051 93.2% of the 3,275 at the end of 2018
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 4.0% All 2018 cars 5.8%
  • Tests with an advisory 36.4% All 2018 cars 43.2%
  • MOT tests in 2025 3,106 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2018 BMW I3s do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 7 years old, 88.7% of 2018 BMW I3 MOT tests were passed first time, against 81.8% for all cars first registered in 2018. 2018 BMW I3s did better than average for their age, by 6.9 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 88.1% of the time (all 2018 cars 83.4%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: BMW I3 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 I3 bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, BMW I3 compared with all cars
First registered BMW I3All cars
’14 79.4%69.1%
’15 82.1%72.6%
’16 81.8%75.6%
’17 84.2%79.1%
’18 88.7%81.8%
’19 88.5%84.4%
’20 88.7%86.9%
’21 91.0%88.4%
’22 88.2%89.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2018 BMW I3

Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm was the most common single reason a 2018 BMW I3 failed, on 17.4% of about 400 failed tests. By area of the car, tyres failed most often (45.7% of failed tests; all 2018 cars 30.9%). 4.0% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 5.8% for all cars first registered in 2018. 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 2018 BMW I3 tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 17.4%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 16.0%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility 10.6%
Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.7%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension 6.3%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres 6.3%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility 4.9%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension 4.6%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes 3.7%
Side repeaters: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 3.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: BMW I3 vs all 2018 cars

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

Share of failed 2018 BMW I3 MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2018 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Tyres 45.7%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 18.6%
Visibility 18.0%
Suspension 12.3%
Brakes 10.0%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 4.0%
Road wheels 2.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks 2.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2018 BMW I3

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 36.4% of 2018 BMW I3 tests had at least one (all 2018 cars 43.2%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2018 BMW I3 tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 16.5%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 11.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 7.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 4.3%
Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels 2.5%
Nail in tyre Non-component advisories 2.0%
Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories 1.8%
Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 1.7%
Coil spring: corroded Suspension 0.8%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes 0.6%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2018 BMW I3?

Half of the 2018 BMW I3s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 43,200 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 30,100 and a quarter more than 59,900. For all cars first registered in 2018, the middle figure was 50,000 miles, so 2018 BMW I3s have been driven 13.6% less far 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, 2018 BMW I3 and all 2018 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2018 BMW I3 20,700 30,100 43,200 59,900 77,200 2,986
All 2018 cars 24,300 35,700 50,000 66,600 85,300 2,108,837
miles

Half of the 2018 BMW I3s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 43,200 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2018 BMW I3s are left?

At the end of 2018, 3,275 2018 BMW I3s were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2025, 3,051 were: 2,997 licensed and 54 declared off the road (SORN). That is 93.2% still on the record, against 96.1% for all cars first registered in 2018.

Share still on the record since 2018

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2018. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2018 BMW I3s on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2018, compared with all 2018 cars
Year end 2018 BMW I3All 2018 cars
2018 100.0%100.0%
2019 100.8%99.9%
2020 96.2%98.2%
2021 94.1%95.9%
2022 92.8%97.2%
2023 94.1%97.0%
2024 93.8%96.7%
2025 93.2%96.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2018

2 of the BMW I3’s 9 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2018.

The 2018 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2018 may have been built in 2017, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

BMW I3 recalls whose build dates include 2018
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
14 Nov 2022 During supplier s production process of the battery cells a manufacturing defect occurred with the winding of cell-internal films for the high-voltage battery. 12 Nov 2018 to 16 Jul 2021 18
22 May 2019 The printed circuit board was not manufactured according to specifications 11 May 2015 to 5 Feb 2018 59

Every BMW I3 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 I3

9 years of the BMW I3, 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 2014 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (79.4% passed first time) and the 2022 cars worst (88.2%).

BMW I3s by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2014 1,369 1,192 79.4% 69.1%
2015 2,181 1,878 82.1% 72.6%
2016 2,458 2,147 81.8% 75.6%
2017 3,377 3,133 84.2% 79.1%
2018 3,275 3,051 88.7% 81.8%
2019 4,218 3,995 88.5% 84.4%
2020 4,341 4,083 88.7% 86.9%
2021 3,512 3,384 91.0% 88.4%
2022 2,753 2,631 88.2% 89.4%

Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered. 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 3,106 MOT tests of 2018 BMW I3 cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 3,051 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of BMW I3 cars first registered in 2018; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2018.
  • 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.