8,738 tests in 2025
BMW Ix3 reliability and MOT pass rate
87% passed first time. The 13% fail rate is 9.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 3 years old with 31,520 miles.
Pass rate
87%
22.6% of all cars failed; 13% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
31,520 mi
3 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 8,461 | 13% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Ix3 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.
- Tyres576 dangerous73.6%
- Visibility2 dangerous15.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment10.8%
- Suspension2 dangerous3.4%
- Identification of the vehicle1.7%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.6%
- Brakes5 dangerous1.4%
- Road Wheels6 dangerous1.1%
Is the Ix3 getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.2 points to 11.2% from 2024 to 2025, against a falling rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,194 | — | 11.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 2,694 | — | 11.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Ix3 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 Ix3 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 cords468 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed263 tests
- 3Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively111 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm109 tests
- 5Side repeaters: not working91 tests
- 6Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid42 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure30 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure19 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Ix3 collects 1.91 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 1.6mm1,435 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords343 tests
- 3Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt281 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre263 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm246 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure239 tests
- 7Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak121 tests
- 8Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure88 tests
Questions
What is the BMW Ix3 MOT pass rate?
87% of the 8,738 BMW Ix3 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 13% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a BMW Ix3 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 468 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively". By section, tyres appears in 73.6% of failures, visibility appears in 15.4% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 10.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 13%; at 3-5 years it was 13%. The median BMW Ix3 tested in 2025 was 3 years old with 31,520 miles.
Is the BMW Ix3 getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.2 points to 11.2% from 2024 to 2025, against a falling rate across all cars.
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 Ix3 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 5 safety recalls naming the BMW Ix3: BMW Ix3 recalls.
Other BMW models
Checking a particular Ix3?
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.