1997 BMW Z3 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

64.7%

Latest Pass Rate

46,176

Total Tests (All Years)

92,369 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 1997 BMW Z3 as it ages.

12 yrs58.8%

→ ↓0.9%

13 yrs57.9%

→ ↓2.1%

14 yrs55.8%

→ ↑0.3%

15 yrs56.1%

→ ↓2.5%

16 yrs53.6%

→ ↑0.4%

17 yrs54.0%

→ ↑1.4%

18 yrs55.4%

→ ↑2.0%

19 yrs57.4%

→ ↑0.8%

20 yrs58.2%

→ ↑0.2%

21 yrs58.4%

→ ↓0.2%

22 yrs58.2%

→ ↑6.0%

23 yrs64.2%

→ ↓5.3%

24 yrs58.9%

→ ↑3.1%

25 yrs62.0%

→ ↓0.0%

26 yrs62.0%

→ ↑2.7%

27 yrs64.7%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	58.8%	4,015
13 yrs	57.9%	3,839
14 yrs	55.8%	3,848
15 yrs	56.1%	3,699
16 yrs	53.6%	3,538
17 yrs	54.0%	3,386
18 yrs	55.4%	3,299
19 yrs	57.4%	3,087
20 yrs	58.2%	2,865
21 yrs	58.4%	1,904
22 yrs	58.2%	1,844
23 yrs	64.2%	1,520
24 yrs	58.9%	1,973
25 yrs	62.0%	1,646
26 yrs	62.0%	1,768
27 yrs	64.7%	3,945

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 BMW Z3 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (27 yrs)	64.7%	3,945
2023 (26 yrs)	62%	1,768
2022 (25 yrs)	62%	1,646
2021 (24 yrs)	58.9%	1,973
2020 (23 yrs)	64.2%	1,520
2019 (22 yrs)	58.2%	1,844
2018 (21 yrs)	58.4%	1,904
2017 (20 yrs)	58.2%	2,865
2016 (19 yrs)	57.4%	3,087
2015 (18 yrs)	55.4%	3,299
2014 (17 yrs)	54%	3,386
2013 (16 yrs)	53.6%	3,538
2012 (15 yrs)	56.1%	3,699
2011 (14 yrs)	55.8%	3,848
2010 (13 yrs)	57.9%	3,839
2009 (12 yrs)	58.8%	4,015

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.8%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 4,015Avg Mileage 74,762Top Failure Brakes — 22.3%

2010High Fail Rate

57.9%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 3,839Avg Mileage 79,089Top Failure Brakes — 23.7%

2011High Fail Rate

55.8%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 3,848Avg Mileage 83,034Top Failure Brakes — 24.9%

2012High Fail Rate

56.1%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 3,699Avg Mileage 86,053Top Failure Brakes — 25.9%

2013High Fail Rate

53.6%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 3,538Avg Mileage 87,717Top Failure Brakes — 80.6%

2014High Fail Rate

54.0%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 3,386Avg Mileage 90,219Top Failure Brakes — 72.6%

2015High Fail Rate

55.4%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 3,299Avg Mileage 91,430Top Failure Brakes — 76.4%

2016High Fail Rate

57.4%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 3,087Avg Mileage 92,629Top Failure Brakes — 68.0%

2017High Fail Rate

58.2%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 2,865Avg Mileage 93,961Top Failure Brakes — 66.1%

2018High Fail Rate

58.4%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 1,904Avg Mileage 95,234Top Failure Brakes — 65.3%

2019High Fail Rate

58.2%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 1,844Avg Mileage 94,451Top Failure Brakes — 65.5%

2020High Fail Rate

64.2%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 1,520Avg Mileage 94,019Top Failure Brakes — 59.7%

2021High Fail Rate

58.9%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 1,973Avg Mileage 94,925Top Failure Brakes — 74.5%

2022High Fail Rate

62.0%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 1,646Avg Mileage 93,017Top Failure Brakes — 67.9%

2023High Fail Rate

62.0%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 1,768Avg Mileage 93,001Top Failure Brakes — 71.7%

2024High Fail Rate

64.7%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 3,945Avg Mileage 92,369Top Failure Brakes — 48.1%

MOT results for 1997 BMW Z3 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	58.8%	4,015	74,762	Brakes — 22.3%
2010	13	57.9%	3,839	79,089	Brakes — 23.7%
2011	14	55.8%	3,848	83,034	Brakes — 24.9%
2012	15	56.1%	3,699	86,053	Brakes — 25.9%
2013	16	53.6%	3,538	87,717	Brakes — 80.6%
2014	17	54.0%	3,386	90,219	Brakes — 72.6%
2015	18	55.4%	3,299	91,430	Brakes — 76.4%
2016	19	57.4%	3,087	92,629	Brakes — 68.0%
2017	20	58.2%	2,865	93,961	Brakes — 66.1%
2018	21	58.4%	1,904	95,234	Brakes — 65.3%
2019	22	58.2%	1,844	94,451	Brakes — 65.5%
2020	23	64.2%	1,520	94,019	Brakes — 59.7%
2021	24	58.9%	1,973	94,925	Brakes — 74.5%
2022	25	62.0%	1,646	93,017	Brakes — 67.9%
2023	26	62.0%	1,768	93,001	Brakes — 71.7%
2024	27	64.7%	3,945	92,369	Brakes — 48.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 BMW Z3, with age trends.

Brakes

57.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

45.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

28.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

26.8%

↑ Increases with age

Noise, emissions and leaks

23.7%

↑ 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	22.3% (12 yrs)	48.1% (27 yrs)	+25.8%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	18.2% (12 yrs)	39.5% (27 yrs)	+21.3%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	12.8% (12 yrs)	16.1% (27 yrs)	+3.3%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2011

← Back to BMW Z3 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the BMW Z3 page →

About This Data

This page shows how BMW Z3 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 46,176 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.