2004 BMW 3 Series — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2004 perform at MOT as they age

22 years

Current Age

66.9%

Latest Pass Rate

465,658

Total Tests (All Years)

121,114 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 20

This car: 66.9%

Average: 56.6%

✅ 10.3% above average (6824 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2004 BMW 3 Series as it ages.

5 yrs73.0%

→ ↓3.5%

6 yrs69.5%

→ ↓3.6%

7 yrs65.9%

→ ↓2.3%

8 yrs63.6%

→ ↓4.3%

9 yrs59.3%

→ ↓2.2%

10 yrs57.1%

→ ↓0.0%

11 yrs57.1%

→ ↓0.4%

12 yrs56.7%

→ ↓0.5%

13 yrs56.2%

→ ↑0.4%

14 yrs56.6%

→ ↑0.8%

15 yrs57.4%

→ ↑2.0%

16 yrs59.4%

→ ↑0.4%

17 yrs59.8%

→ ↑3.0%

18 yrs62.8%

→ ↑0.7%

19 yrs63.5%

→ ↑3.4%

20 yrs66.9%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
5 yrs	73.0%	42,943
6 yrs	69.5%	41,972
7 yrs	65.9%	42,483
8 yrs	63.6%	41,833
9 yrs	59.3%	41,274
10 yrs	57.1%	40,317
11 yrs	57.1%	38,899
12 yrs	56.7%	36,355
13 yrs	56.2%	32,470
14 yrs	56.6%	20,777
15 yrs	57.4%	18,515
16 yrs	59.4%	15,028
17 yrs	59.8%	16,474
18 yrs	62.8%	11,436
19 yrs	63.5%	11,712
20 yrs	66.9%	13,170

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2004 BMW 3 Series pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (20 yrs)	66.9%	13,170
2023 (19 yrs)	63.5%	11,712
2022 (18 yrs)	62.8%	11,436
2021 (17 yrs)	59.8%	16,474
2020 (16 yrs)	59.4%	15,028
2019 (15 yrs)	57.4%	18,515
2018 (14 yrs)	56.6%	20,777
2017 (13 yrs)	56.2%	32,470
2016 (12 yrs)	56.7%	36,355
2015 (11 yrs)	57.1%	38,899
2014 (10 yrs)	57.1%	40,317
2013 (9 yrs)	59.3%	41,274
2012 (8 yrs)	63.6%	41,833
2011 (7 yrs)	65.9%	42,483
2010 (6 yrs)	69.5%	41,972
2009 (5 yrs)	73%	42,943

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

73.0%

Age (yrs) 5Tests 42,943Avg Mileage 60,089Top Failure Tyres — 11.4%

2010

69.5%

Age (yrs) 6Tests 41,972Avg Mileage 68,936Top Failure Brakes — 13.7%

2011

65.9%

Age (yrs) 7Tests 42,483Avg Mileage 76,684Top Failure Suspension — 16.9%

2012High Fail Rate

63.6%

Age (yrs) 8Tests 41,833Avg Mileage 84,609Top Failure Brakes — 19.9%

2013High Fail Rate

59.3%

Age (yrs) 9Tests 41,274Avg Mileage 91,730Top Failure Brakes — 55.6%

2014High Fail Rate

57.1%

Age (yrs) 10Tests 40,317Avg Mileage 98,728Top Failure Brakes — 64.7%

2015High Fail Rate

57.1%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 38,899Avg Mileage 104,902Top Failure Brakes — 67.3%

2016High Fail Rate

56.7%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 36,355Avg Mileage 110,472Top Failure Brakes — 70.8%

2017High Fail Rate

56.2%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 32,470Avg Mileage 114,541Top Failure Brakes — 74.2%

2018High Fail Rate

56.6%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 20,777Avg Mileage 117,733Top Failure Brakes — 77.6%

2019High Fail Rate

57.4%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 18,515Avg Mileage 119,273Top Failure Brakes — 76.9%

2020High Fail Rate

59.4%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 15,028Avg Mileage 120,895Top Failure Brakes — 73.6%

2021High Fail Rate

59.8%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 16,474Avg Mileage 120,684Top Failure Brakes — 74.6%

2022High Fail Rate

62.8%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 11,436Avg Mileage 120,365Top Failure Brakes — 66.4%

2023High Fail Rate

63.5%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 11,712Avg Mileage 120,106Top Failure Brakes — 66.4%

2024

66.9%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 13,170Avg Mileage 121,114Top Failure Brakes — 45.9%

MOT results for 2004 BMW 3 Series by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	5	73.0%	42,943	60,089	Tyres — 11.4%
2010	6	69.5%	41,972	68,936	Brakes — 13.7%
2011	7	65.9%	42,483	76,684	Suspension — 16.9%
2012	8	63.6%	41,833	84,609	Brakes — 19.9%
2013	9	59.3%	41,274	91,730	Brakes — 55.6%
2014	10	57.1%	40,317	98,728	Brakes — 64.7%
2015	11	57.1%	38,899	104,902	Brakes — 67.3%
2016	12	56.7%	36,355	110,472	Brakes — 70.8%
2017	13	56.2%	32,470	114,541	Brakes — 74.2%
2018	14	56.6%	20,777	117,733	Brakes — 77.6%
2019	15	57.4%	18,515	119,273	Brakes — 76.9%
2020	16	59.4%	15,028	120,895	Brakes — 73.6%
2021	17	59.8%	16,474	120,684	Brakes — 74.6%
2022	18	62.8%	11,436	120,365	Brakes — 66.4%
2023	19	63.5%	11,712	120,106	Brakes — 66.4%
2024	20	66.9%	13,170	121,114	Brakes — 45.9%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2004 BMW 3 Series, with age trends.

Brakes

54.7%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

40.3%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

26.9%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

25.2%

↑ Increases with age

Noise, emissions and leaks

20.1%

↑ 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	11.3% (5 yrs)	45.9% (20 yrs)	+34.6%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	10.6% (5 yrs)	35.0% (20 yrs)	+24.4%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	11.4% (5 yrs)	21.3% (20 yrs)	+9.9%	🔴 ↑

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 2004 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 465,658 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.