How many BMW M3s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 16,315 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain27,778+4.5% on a year earlier
Declared SORN9,412Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202586.7%Cars of the same ages 66.8%
Rank by number licensedNo. 200of 1,159 models we cover
Licensed countAt its peakhighest since 1994
Average annual mileage3,124miles a year
How many BMW M3s are left in Great Britain?
There were 27,778 BMW M3s licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 9,412 declared off the road (SORN).
That is the most on the road at any year end since 1994.
BMW M3s licensed in Great Britain
Numbers are still rising: the latest count is the highest in this series.
In 2025, 86.7% of BMW M3 MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the BMW M3s tested pass 66.8% of the time, so the BMW M3 does better than average for its age, by 19.9 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 86.0%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: BMW M3 vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
3 years
4–5 years
6–7 years
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
BMW M3
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, BMW M3 compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a BMW M3 fails its MOT,
appearing on 31.4% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
3.2% of BMW M3 tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed BMW M3 MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
The single most common reason a BMW M3 failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Tyres: ply or cords exposed”, on 9.4% of 2,163 failed tests.
28.5% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed BMW M3 tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres
9.4%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension
7.3%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks
7.0%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres
6.7%
Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
6.3%
Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks
5.6%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
15 years of the BMW M3, 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 2009 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (88.3% passed first time) and the 2022 cars worst (92.5%).
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.
BMW M3 annual mileage
The average BMW M3 covers 3,124 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Of the 27,881 BMW M3s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 70.2% have an engine of 2,901cc to 3,000cc, and 16.3% have an engine of 3,201cc to 3,300cc. The share with an engine of 2,901cc to 3,000cc has grown from 3.4% in 2014 to 70.2%. Hybrids made up 0.0% of those licensed in 2014 and 33.2% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
BMW M3s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
2,901cc to 3,000cc 19,562 licensed
70.2%
3,201cc to 3,300cc 4,545 licensed
16.3%
3,901cc to 4,000cc 3,426 licensed
12.3%
Other sizes 348 licensed
1.2%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
2,901–3,000cc
Petrol
10,297
36.9%
2,901–3,000cc
Hybrid
9,264
33.2%
3,201–3,300cc
Petrol
4,537
16.3%
3,901–4,000cc
Petrol
3,425
12.3%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
BMW M3s licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Hybrid
2014
99.9%
0.0%
2015
99.9%
0.0%
2016
99.9%
0.0%
2017
99.9%
0.0%
2018
99.9%
0.0%
2019
99.9%
0.0%
2020
97.7%
2.2%
2021
82.8%
17.2%
2022
75.3%
24.6%
2023
71.3%
28.6%
2024
67.5%
32.5%
2025
66.7%
33.2%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
BMW M3 fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the BMW M3 from 2014, and still lists it. On the WLTP test (listings 2025 to 2026), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 26.9 to 28.0 mpg, with CO2 of 227 to 238 g/km. On the older NEDC test (listings 2014 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 32.1 to 34.0 mpg, with CO2 of 194 to 204 g/km.
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Engine and fuel
Combined mpg
CO2 g/km
Listed
Euro standard
Versions
3.0 petrol
26.9–28.0
227–238
2025–2026
Euro 6
5
Older NEDC figures, listed 2014 to 2018 (1 engine and fuel group)
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2014 to 2018
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
NEDC figures (in VCA’s data until September 2018) and WLTP figures (from the 2019 guide)
come from different tests, so they are shown separately and should not be compared.
VCA’s data has no BMW versions for 2019 to 2024, so the years listed may leave out years the BMW M3 was on sale.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “M3 Series Saloon F80, From June 2014”, “M3 Touring”, “M3”, “M3 Saloon”. How we use VCA’s figures.
BMW M3 safety recalls
DVSA lists 12 safety recalls for the BMW M3 since 1992, the first in 2008. The most recent was launched on 18 December 2025.
Launched 18 December 2025DVSA recall R/2025/349Manufacturer ref. TBC – Multiple Takata Global Recalls
Defect
Affected vehicles are already included in Safety Recalls within the markets they have previously resided in. The vehicles may be fitted with a driver and/or passenger airbag/s which if deployed may do so with excessive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released this may cause serious injury which could prove fatal to people in the vicinity.
Remedy
Vehicles will have the affected airbags checked and if necessary replaced.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every BMW M3. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
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.
