2016 BMW 1 Series: MOT pass rate and reliability

88.4% of 2016 BMW 1 Series pass the MOT first time, measured across 2,755 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 59,988 miles.

How the 2016 compares

  • Against all BMW 1 Series (82%, 80,022 tests): +6.4 points
  • Against all 2016 cars (80.9%): +7.5 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every BMW 1 Series model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2016 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 1 Series:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2005 69.4% 562 134,731
2006 71.8% 613 136,048
2007 71.7% 929 120,265
2008 72.6% 1,364 115,492
2009 71.2% 1,825 112,668
2010 74.1% 2,105 108,717
2011 75.8% 2,476 99,191
2012 74.3% 13,355 97,973
2013 76.9% 15,509 94,873
2014 86% 1,937 77,071
2015 87.8% 1,497 67,358
2016 88.4% 2,755 59,988
2017 88.6% 7,474 56,023
2018 89.2% 12,197 50,484
2019 88.7% 15,230 41,474

What this means if you are buying a 2016 1 Series

The 2016 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 6.4 points more often than the BMW 1 Series average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 10-year-old car fails on

A 2016 car is 10 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is around average, so condition and service history will tell you more than the odometer does. On a 2016 BMW 1 Series the average at test was 59,988 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2018 at 89.2%, and the weakest in our data is 2005 at 69.4%. That 19.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2016 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All BMW 1 Series MOT data · Every model