2025 MOT results
BMW I3 common problems
The most common reason a BMW I3 fails its MOT is a cut tyre, on 15.6% of its 3,435 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: an indicator repeater out at 4.7% of failures against 1.2% expected; the airbag light on at 3.3% of failures against 0.9% expected; headlamp aim set too high at 11.6% of failures against 3.6% expected.
- Tests in 2025 26,176 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 13.1% 3,435 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 3.7% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 36.4% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a BMW I3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed BMW I3 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 15.6% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 12.8% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.6% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 9.4% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 8.5% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 7.5% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.0% |
| Side repeaters: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.7% |
| SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.3% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 2.6% |
| Tyres: tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | 2.6% |
| Tyres: bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | 2.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Cut tyre
15.6% of failures 9.8% expected 1.6 times as often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
12.8% of failures 10.2% expected somewhat more often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Headlamp aim set too high
11.6% of failures 3.6% expected 3.2 times as often
The dipped beam points higher than it should, which dazzles oncoming drivers.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Washers that do not work
9.4% of failures 4.7% expected 2 times as often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
8.5% of failures 9.7% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Broken coil spring
7.5% of failures 5.8% expected somewhat more often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
Which parts of the car fail
Tyres is the area that most often fails a BMW I3, on 40.4% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 33.5%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 40.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25.8% |
| Visibility | 20.7% |
| Suspension | 12.3% |
| Brakes | 7.6% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.1% |
| Road wheels | 3.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
36.4% of BMW I3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On BMW I3s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 15.3% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 12.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.0% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 3.8% |
| Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels | 2.6% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 1.9% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.8% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 1.7% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 1.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 0.7% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 0.6% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 0.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a BMW I3 gets older
A 2022 BMW I3 failed 11.8% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2016 one failed 18.2%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 BMW I3 11.8% failed, from 2,914 tests
- Headlamp aim set too high 36.0%
- Cut tyre 18.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.6%
- Washers that do not work 11.0%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.7%
- Bulge in a tyre 4.4%
2016 BMW I3 18.2% failed, from 2,159 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 13.7%
- Cut tyre 12.0%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.2%
- Broken coil spring 9.9%
- Washers that do not work 8.1%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 6.4%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
BMW I3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a BMW I3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” is the most common: it appears on 15.6% of failed BMW I3 tests. Across categories, tyres is the area that most often fails one, on 40.4% of failed tests.
How often does a BMW I3 fail its MOT?
13.1% of BMW I3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 26,176 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 62 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a BMW I3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Side repeaters: not working” appears on 4.7% of its failures against 1.2% for cars of the same age, and “SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault” appears on 3.3% of its failures against 0.9% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a BMW I3 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 26,176 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.