2025 MOT results
BMW X3 common problems
The most common reason a BMW X3 fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 11.5% of its 20,695 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: an indicator repeater out at 7.4% of failures against 1.5% expected; a cut tyre at 10.6% of failures against 6.4% expected; headlamp aim out of line at 6.4% of failures against 4.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 108,343 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 19.1% 20,695 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 4.9% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 41.8% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a BMW X3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed BMW X3 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 11.5% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 10.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 9.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.6% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 7.4% |
| Side repeaters: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.4% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.4% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.9% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.3% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.0% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.9% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
11.5% of failures 8.1% 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.
-
Cut tyre
10.6% of failures 6.4% expected 1.7 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
9.4% of failures 7.5% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.6% of failures 8.7% expected about as expected
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.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
7.4% of failures 5.4% expected somewhat more often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Indicator repeater out
7.4% of failures 1.5% expected 4.9 times as often
The small indicator lamp in the wing or mirror not working.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a BMW X3, on 33.7% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is tyres, on 29.4% against 26.1% expected.
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 |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 33.7% |
| Tyres | 29.4% |
| Suspension | 23.6% |
| Visibility | 16.9% |
| Brakes | 14.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.6% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
41.8% of BMW X3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On BMW X3s, 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 | 17.7% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.6% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 6.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 4.5% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 4.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 3.3% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.0% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.0% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.5% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 2.2% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.2% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a BMW X3 gets older
A 2022 BMW X3 failed 9.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2005 one failed 37.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 BMW X3 9.4% failed, from 7,337 tests
- Cut tyre 34.4%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 13.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.1%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 9.1%
- Indicator repeater out 7.7%
- Bulge in a tyre 5.7%
2005 BMW X3 37.5% failed, from 2,008 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 11.7%
- Airbag light on 11.6%
- Split joint boot 10.0%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.6%
- Broken coil spring 8.5%
- Lighting fault 8.4%
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 X3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a BMW X3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 11.5% of failed BMW X3 tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 33.7% of failed tests.
How often does a BMW X3 fail its MOT?
19.1% of BMW X3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 108,343 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 63 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a BMW X3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Side repeaters: not working” appears on 7.4% of its failures against 1.5% for cars of the same age, and “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” appears on 10.6% of its failures against 6.4% 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 X3 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 | 108,343 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.