2003 BMW 3 Series — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2003 perform at MOT as they age

23 years

Current Age

67.4%

Latest Pass Rate

548,591

Total Tests (All Years)

118,381 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2003 BMW 3 Series as it ages.

6 yrs69.7%

→ ↓3.1%

7 yrs66.6%

→ ↓3.8%

8 yrs62.8%

→ ↓2.2%

9 yrs60.6%

→ ↓3.4%

10 yrs57.2%

→ ↓1.7%

11 yrs55.5%

→ ↑0.8%

12 yrs56.3%

→ ↑0.2%

13 yrs56.5%

→ ↓0.2%

14 yrs56.3%

→ ↑0.4%

15 yrs56.7%

→ ↑1.3%

16 yrs58.0%

→ ↑1.3%

17 yrs59.3%

→ ↑1.3%

18 yrs60.6%

→ ↑1.4%

19 yrs62.0%

→ ↑2.3%

20 yrs64.3%

→ ↑3.1%

21 yrs67.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
6 yrs	69.7%	53,964
7 yrs	66.6%	52,396
8 yrs	62.8%	53,075
9 yrs	60.6%	52,039
10 yrs	57.2%	50,815
11 yrs	55.5%	48,898
12 yrs	56.3%	46,394
13 yrs	56.5%	42,372
14 yrs	56.3%	36,674
15 yrs	56.7%	22,306
16 yrs	58.0%	19,602
17 yrs	59.3%	15,600
18 yrs	60.6%	16,949
19 yrs	62.0%	11,824
20 yrs	64.3%	12,202
21 yrs	67.4%	13,481

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2003 BMW 3 Series pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (21 yrs)	67.4%	13,481
2023 (20 yrs)	64.3%	12,202
2022 (19 yrs)	62%	11,824
2021 (18 yrs)	60.6%	16,949
2020 (17 yrs)	59.3%	15,600
2019 (16 yrs)	58%	19,602
2018 (15 yrs)	56.7%	22,306
2017 (14 yrs)	56.3%	36,674
2016 (13 yrs)	56.5%	42,372
2015 (12 yrs)	56.3%	46,394
2014 (11 yrs)	55.5%	48,898
2013 (10 yrs)	57.2%	50,815
2012 (9 yrs)	60.6%	52,039
2011 (8 yrs)	62.8%	53,075
2010 (7 yrs)	66.6%	52,396
2009 (6 yrs)	69.7%	53,964

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

69.7%

Age (yrs) 6Tests 53,964Avg Mileage 66,528Top Failure Brakes — 13.5%

2010

66.6%

Age (yrs) 7Tests 52,396Avg Mileage 74,779Top Failure Brakes — 15.8%

2011High Fail Rate

62.8%

Age (yrs) 8Tests 53,075Avg Mileage 82,257Top Failure Brakes — 19.0%

2012High Fail Rate

60.6%

Age (yrs) 9Tests 52,039Avg Mileage 89,290Top Failure Brakes — 22.4%

2013High Fail Rate

57.2%

Age (yrs) 10Tests 50,815Avg Mileage 95,792Top Failure Brakes — 59.6%

2014High Fail Rate

55.5%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 48,898Avg Mileage 101,877Top Failure Brakes — 68.2%

2015High Fail Rate

56.3%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 46,394Avg Mileage 107,530Top Failure Brakes — 67.9%

2016High Fail Rate

56.5%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 42,372Avg Mileage 112,139Top Failure Brakes — 69.0%

2017High Fail Rate

56.3%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 36,674Avg Mileage 115,300Top Failure Brakes — 72.2%

2018High Fail Rate

56.7%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 22,306Avg Mileage 116,962Top Failure Brakes — 74.9%

2019High Fail Rate

58.0%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 19,602Avg Mileage 118,043Top Failure Brakes — 72.4%

2020High Fail Rate

59.3%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 15,600Avg Mileage 118,914Top Failure Brakes — 69.5%

2021High Fail Rate

60.6%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 16,949Avg Mileage 118,648Top Failure Brakes — 69.8%

2022High Fail Rate

62.0%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 11,824Avg Mileage 119,557Top Failure Brakes — 65.8%

2023High Fail Rate

64.3%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 12,202Avg Mileage 119,258Top Failure Brakes — 60.2%

2024

67.4%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 13,481Avg Mileage 118,381Top Failure Brakes — 43.4%

MOT results for 2003 BMW 3 Series by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	6	69.7%	53,964	66,528	Brakes — 13.5%
2010	7	66.6%	52,396	74,779	Brakes — 15.8%
2011	8	62.8%	53,075	82,257	Brakes — 19.0%
2012	9	60.6%	52,039	89,290	Brakes — 22.4%
2013	10	57.2%	50,815	95,792	Brakes — 59.6%
2014	11	55.5%	48,898	101,877	Brakes — 68.2%
2015	12	56.3%	46,394	107,530	Brakes — 67.9%
2016	13	56.5%	42,372	112,139	Brakes — 69.0%
2017	14	56.3%	36,674	115,300	Brakes — 72.2%
2018	15	56.7%	22,306	116,962	Brakes — 74.9%
2019	16	58.0%	19,602	118,043	Brakes — 72.4%
2020	17	59.3%	15,600	118,914	Brakes — 69.5%
2021	18	60.6%	16,949	118,648	Brakes — 69.8%
2022	19	62.0%	11,824	119,557	Brakes — 65.8%
2023	20	64.3%	12,202	119,258	Brakes — 60.2%
2024	21	67.4%	13,481	118,381	Brakes — 43.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2003 BMW 3 Series, with age trends.

Brakes

54.0%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

40.1%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

27.7%

— Consistent

Tyres

24.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

22.5%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	13.5% (6 yrs)	43.4% (21 yrs)	+29.9%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	12.9% (6 yrs)	34.2% (21 yrs)	+21.3%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	12.0% (6 yrs)	20.6% (21 yrs)	+8.6%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the BMW 3 Series page →

About This Data

This page shows how BMW 3 Series cars manufactured in 2003 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 548,591 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.