5,228 tests in 2025
BMW Ix reliability and MOT pass rate
87.3% passed first time. The 12.7% fail rate is 9.9 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 3 years old with 29,346 miles.
Pass rate
87.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 12.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
29,346 mi
3 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 5,054 | 12.8% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Ix 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.
- Tyres425 dangerous70.6%
- Visibility19.3%
- Steering4 dangerous10.5%
- Identification of the vehicle5.1%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems3.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2.6%
- Suspension1 dangerous1.4%
- Road Wheels3 dangerous1.1%
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Ix 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 cords220 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed147 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm115 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively94 tests
- 5Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play60 tests
- 6Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements28 tests
- 7Washers: not working17 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure16 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Ix collects 1.9 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 1.6mm874 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords160 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm153 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre140 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt77 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure71 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure35 tests
- 8Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play34 tests
Questions
What is the BMW Ix MOT pass rate?
87.3% of the 5,228 BMW Ix first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 12.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a BMW Ix 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 220 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 70.6% of failures, visibility appears in 19.3% of failures, steering appears in 10.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 12.8%; at 3-5 years it was 12.8%. The median BMW Ix tested in 2025 was 3 years old with 29,346 miles.
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 Ix trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 7 safety recalls naming the BMW Ix: BMW Ix recalls.
Other BMW models
Checking a particular Ix?
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.