16,334 tests in 2025
BMW I3 Electric reliability and MOT pass rate
90.9% passed first time. The 9.1% fail rate is 13.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 5 years old with 28,877 miles.
Electric versions only, by DVSA’s fuel record for each test. Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions are on the BMW I3 page.
Pass rate
90.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 9.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
28,877 mi
5 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 9,655 | 7.6% |
| 6-9 years | 5,770 | 10.4% |
| 10-13 years | 909 | 16.3% |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the I3 Electric fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Tyres732 dangerous58.2%
- Visibility16.1%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1 dangerous13.7%
- Suspension15 dangerous12%
- Brakes50 dangerous6.6%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems3.2%
- Road Wheels8 dangerous3%
- Body, chassis, structure1 dangerous1.7%
Is the I3 Electric getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.6 points to 10.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.9 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16,113 | 5 | 8.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 20,144 | 5 | 8.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 19,818 | 6 | 10.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 24,114 | 6 | 10.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical I3 Electric at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a I3 Electric in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords345 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm272 tests
- 3Coil spring: fractured or broken129 tests
- 4Condition: has ply or cords exposed123 tests
- 5Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid114 tests
- 6Side repeaters: not working84 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively79 tests
- 8Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure63 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical I3 Electric collects 2.16 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,128 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,922 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened822 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick435 tests
- 5Condition: badly distorted364 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre346 tests
- 7Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords316 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm303 tests
Questions
What is the BMW I3 Electric MOT pass rate?
90.9% of the 16,334 BMW I3 Electric first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 9.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a BMW I3 Electric usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded on 345 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Coil spring: fractured or broken". By section, tyres appears in 58.2% of failures, visibility appears in 16.1% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 13.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 7.6%; at 10-13 years it was 16.3%. The median BMW I3 Electric tested in 2025 was 5 years old with 28,877 miles.
Is the BMW I3 Electric getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.6 points to 10.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.9 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every I3 Electric trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other BMW models
Checking a particular I3 Electric?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.