BMW M3 MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a BMW M3 in Great Britain in 2025 — 16,383 tests. Figures cover every M3 first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the M3 ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
86.8%
14.5 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
16,383
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
3.2%
of M3 first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
61,250
middle half: 48,750–76,250 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many BMW M3 cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 38,383 BMW M3 cars that were taxed or on SORN: 27,881 taxed and 10,502 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. BMW M3 vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
27,881
72.6% of the 38,383 M3 cars taxed or on SORN; 30 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
10,502
declared off the road by their keepers — 27.4% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed M3 cars is still rising: 27,881 at the end of 2025, up 1,288 (4.8%) on the end of 2024, and the highest in the years shown. Cars on SORN went from 3,269 at the end of 2014 to 10,502 at the end of 2025, up 221.3%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed M3 cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

010k20k30k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed M3 cars, year 2014: 19kTaxed M3 cars, year 2015: 18kTaxed M3 cars, year 2016: 18kTaxed M3 cars, year 2017: 18kTaxed M3 cars, year 2018: 17kTaxed M3 cars, year 2019: 17kTaxed M3 cars, year 2020: 17kTaxed M3 cars, year 2021: 20kTaxed M3 cars, year 2022: 22kTaxed M3 cars, year 2023: 24kTaxed M3 cars, year 2024: 27kTaxed M3 cars, year 2025: 28k28k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed M3 cars
201418,579
201518,302
201618,241
201717,688
201817,264
201916,716
202017,211
202120,218
202222,265
202324,043
202426,593
202527,881

M3 cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

05k10k15k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)M3 cars on SORN, year 2014: 3kM3 cars on SORN, year 2015: 4kM3 cars on SORN, year 2016: 4kM3 cars on SORN, year 2017: 6kM3 cars on SORN, year 2018: 6kM3 cars on SORN, year 2019: 7kM3 cars on SORN, year 2020: 8kM3 cars on SORN, year 2021: 8kM3 cars on SORN, year 2022: 9kM3 cars on SORN, year 2023: 10kM3 cars on SORN, year 2024: 10kM3 cars on SORN, year 2025: 11k11k
View this chart as a table
YearM3 cars on SORN
20143,269
20153,753
20164,409
20175,500
20186,413
20197,123
20207,921
20218,280
20228,920
20239,646
202410,076
202510,502

Which model years survive

Taxed M3 cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 27,881 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. 7 taxed M3 cars have no recorded year of manufacture and are not in the table, so the rows add up to 27,874. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed M3 cars
20251,8856.8%
20243,25911.7%
20232,7099.7%
20222,80010.0%
20213,65213.1%
20201,5505.6%
20195331.9%
20187692.8%
20178943.2%
20166892.5%
20154981.8%
20134691.7%
20125692.0%
20115381.9%
20104641.7%
20094951.8%
20088022.9%
20073021.1%
20056902.5%
20049373.4%
20031,2714.6%
20027992.9%
All other build years (19 years, each under 1%)1,3004.7%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name M3 under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the M3 ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, M3 vs all cars, 2025.

BMW M3All cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)BMW M3, vehicle age 3: 92.6%BMW M3, vehicle age 4: 94.4%BMW M3, vehicle age 7: 88.4%BMW M3, vehicle age 8: 89.5%BMW M3, vehicle age 9: 90%BMW M3, vehicle age 10: 89.6%BMW M3, vehicle age 13: 87.8%BMW M3, vehicle age 14: 91%BMW M3, vehicle age 15: 88.6%BMW M3, vehicle age 16: 88.3%BMW M3, vehicle age 17: 85.5%BMW M3, vehicle age 20: 86%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%BMW M3 86%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)M3 testsM3 pass rateAll cars
383892.6%88.5%
468494.4%87.2%
784788.4%80.9%
893389.5%78.2%
973890.0%74.9%
1053089.6%71.9%
1358387.8%63.5%
1465891.0%61.2%
1562188.6%59.3%
1667488.3%58.3%
171,02885.5%57.2%
2095786.0%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The M3's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the M3 beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

M3 ahead
-32-16+0+16+32Age 3: +4.1 points vs the average car3Age 4: +7.2 points vs the average carAge 7: +7.5 points vs the average car7Age 8: +11.3 points vs the average carAge 9: +15.1 points vs the average car9Age 10: +17.7 points vs the average carAge 13: +24.3 points vs the average car13Age 14: +29.8 points vs the average carAge 15: +29.3 points vs the average car15Age 16: +30.0 points vs the average carAge 17: +28.3 points vs the average car17Age 20: +28.4 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+4.1
4+7.2
7+7.5
8+11.3
9+15.1
10+17.7
13+24.3
14+29.8
15+29.3
16+30.0
17+28.3
20+28.4

The M3 fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the M3 fleet still in use.

05001k1k2kAge 3: 8383Age 4: 684Age 7: 8477Age 8: 933Age 9: 7389Age 10: 530Age 13: 58313Age 14: 658Age 15: 62115Age 16: 674Age 17: 1k17Age 20: 95720Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
3838
4684
7847
8933
9738
10530
13583
14658
15621
16674
171,028
20957

What an M3 fails on

Where the failure items land when an M3 fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.3%
Tyres17.4%
Brakes14.8%
Suspension13.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks12.2%
Visibility7.2%
Identification of the vehicle3.0%
Body, chassis, structure2.9%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (94.2% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a M3, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 31.7% of advisories31.7%Brakes: 31.0% of advisories31.0%Suspension: 15.4% of advisories15.4%Noise, emissions and leaks: 8.2% of advisories8.2%Non-component advisories: 5.0% of advisoriesBody, chassis, structure: 3.8% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNoise, emissions and leaksNon-component advisoriesBody, chassis, structure
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres31.7%
Brakes31.0%
Suspension15.4%
Noise, emissions and leaks8.2%
Non-component advisories5.0%
Body, chassis, structure3.8%

What mileage is normal for an M3?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) M3; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical M3 (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k37913151720Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 21,250 miles (middle half 13,750–26,250)Age 4: typical 26,250 miles (middle half 18,750–33,750)Age 7: typical 41,250 miles (middle half 28,750–53,750)Age 8: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 36,250–58,750)Age 9: typical 51,250 miles (middle half 38,750–66,250)Age 10: typical 61,250 miles (middle half 48,750–76,250)Age 13: typical 61,250 miles (middle half 43,750–76,250)Age 14: typical 68,750 miles (middle half 53,750–88,750)Age 15: typical 73,750 miles (middle half 56,250–91,250)Age 16: typical 78,750 miles (middle half 61,250–96,250)Age 17: typical 86,250 miles (middle half 66,250–103,750)Age 20: typical 88,750 miles (middle half 68,750–111,250)88k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
313,75021,25026,250
418,75026,25033,750
728,75041,25053,750
836,25046,25058,750
938,75051,25066,250
1048,75061,25076,250
1343,75061,25076,250
1453,75068,75088,750
1556,25073,75091,250
1661,25078,75096,250
1766,25086,250103,750
2068,75088,750111,250

What fails at each age

The M3's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresIdentification of the vehicleNoise, emissions and leaksVisibilitySuspensionBrakesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres50.0%
3-5 yrsIdentification of the vehicle14.9%
3-5 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks10.8%
3-5 yrsVisibility6.8%
3-5 yrsSuspension5.4%
3-5 yrsEverything else12.1%
6-9 yrsTyres50.1%
6-9 yrsSuspension22.2%
6-9 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.4%
6-9 yrsBrakes5.5%
6-9 yrsIdentification of the vehicle4.3%
6-9 yrsEverything else11.5%
10-13 yrsTyres31.0%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.5%
10-13 yrsSuspension17.0%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks10.8%
10-13 yrsBrakes8.7%
10-13 yrsEverything else13.0%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.1%
14+ yrsBrakes19.2%
14+ yrsSuspension14.8%
14+ yrsNoise, emissions and leaks14.2%
14+ yrsTyres12.8%
14+ yrsEverything else17.9%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.