2005 BMW 116: MOT pass rate and reliability
71.1% of 2005 BMW 116s pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,329 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 108,560 miles.
How the 2005 compares
- Against all BMW 116s (79.1%, 106,001 tests): -8 points
- Against all 2005 cars (64.2%): +6.9 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW 116 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2005 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 116:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 69.4% | 415 | 109,351 |
| 2005 | 71.1% | 1,329 | 108,560 |
| 2006 | 71.7% | 2,767 | 111,023 |
| 2007 | 71% | 2,713 | 107,500 |
| 2008 | 72.1% | 2,328 | 97,238 |
| 2009 | 73.2% | 5,498 | 102,841 |
| 2010 | 73.4% | 5,777 | 106,210 |
| 2011 | 74.6% | 6,354 | 102,085 |
| 2012 | 74.7% | 6,738 | 100,051 |
| 2013 | 78.4% | 10,661 | 92,757 |
| 2014 | 80% | 19,427 | 86,398 |
| 2015 | 81% | 14,497 | 82,725 |
| 2016 | 82.8% | 11,743 | 78,189 |
| 2017 | 85.2% | 8,241 | 69,082 |
| 2018 | 85.2% | 2,304 | 58,528 |
| 2019 | 86.2% | 1,330 | 49,715 |
| 2020 | 89.3% | 2,334 | 44,056 |
| 2021 | 90% | 1,494 | 35,706 |
What this means if you are buying a 2005 116
The 2005 is a weaker year for this model, passing 8 points less often than the BMW 116 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2005 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 21-year-old car fails on
A 2005 car is 21 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 above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 2005 BMW 116 the average at test was 108,560 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 2021 at 90%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 69.4%. That 20.6 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2005 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2004 BMW 116 - 69.4%
- 2006 BMW 116 - 71.7%
- 2007 BMW 116 - 71%
- 2008 BMW 116 - 72.1%