BMW 120: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 120 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 0.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 42,025 individual BMW 120 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 76.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 24 in every 100 BMW 120s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average BMW 120 tested had covered 98,243 miles and was built around 2012.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a BMW 120 bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific BMW 120 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged BMW 120s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 120

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 1% of tests (12.87x the national rate for this defect)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 3.1% of tests (4.48x the national rate for this defect)
3. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud, 0.8% of tests (3.51x the national rate for this defect)
4. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 0.9% of tests (2.08x the national rate for this defect)
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.8% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.8% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.2% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.3% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.4% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2% of tests

From 71,732 DVSA-tracked BMW 120 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.83% of these flagged BMW 120 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

BMW 120 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each BMW 120 year:

• 2004 BMW 120 - 73.4% first-time pass, 707 tests
• 2005 BMW 120 - 69.5% first-time pass, 2,233 tests
• 2006 BMW 120 - 70.5% first-time pass, 2,134 tests
• 2007 BMW 120 - 72.6% first-time pass, 2,395 tests
• 2008 BMW 120 - 70.8% first-time pass, 3,918 tests
• 2009 BMW 120 - 71.9% first-time pass, 3,170 tests
• 2010 BMW 120 - 72.5% first-time pass, 3,686 tests
• 2011 BMW 120 - 73.3% first-time pass, 3,303 tests
• 2012 BMW 120 - 73.4% first-time pass, 2,487 tests
• 2013 BMW 120 - 77.9% first-time pass, 2,386 tests
• 2014 BMW 120 - 80.2% first-time pass, 3,019 tests
• 2015 BMW 120 - 83.9% first-time pass, 3,638 tests
• 2016 BMW 120 - 85.5% first-time pass, 3,374 tests
• 2017 BMW 120 - 87.2% first-time pass, 2,343 tests
• 2018 BMW 120 - 84.9% first-time pass, 1,401 tests
• 2019 BMW 120 - 88.9% first-time pass, 648 tests
• 2020 BMW 120 - 88.9% first-time pass, 649 tests
• 2021 BMW 120 - 93.5% first-time pass, 216 tests

BMW 120 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel BMW 120 - 76.2% first-time pass, 34,275 tests
• Petrol BMW 120 - 80.4% first-time pass, 7,440 tests

Other BMW models

• BMW 3 Series - 76.8%
• BMW 118 - 81.9%
• BMW 116 - 78.6%
• BMW X1 - 85.2%
• BMW X3 - 82.3%
• BMW X5 - 81.2%
• BMW 1 Series - 81.6%
• BMW 520 - 80.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• BMW 316 - 76.5%
• MINI One Clubman - 76.5%
• Peugeot 2008 - 76.4%
• Jaguar Xk8 - 76.4%
• Nissan 350 Z - 76.4%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Sportive Td - 76.4%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate