2008 BMW 123: MOT pass rate and reliability
72.3% of 2008 BMW 123s pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,146 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 129,506 miles.
How the 2008 compares
- Against all BMW 123s (73.7%, 3,294 tests): -1.4 points
- Against all 2008 cars (64.7%): +7.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW 123 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2008 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 123:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 72.3% | 1,146 | 129,506 |
| 2009 | 71.7% | 781 | 125,435 |
| 2010 | 76.5% | 554 | 116,871 |
| 2011 | 76.6% | 435 | 105,131 |
What this means if you are buying a 2008 123
The 2008 sits close to the BMW 123 average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 an 18-year-old car fails on
A 2008 car is 18 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 high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2008 BMW 123 the average at test was 129,506 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 2011 at 76.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2009 at 71.7%. That 4.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2008 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2009 BMW 123 - 71.7%
- 2010 BMW 123 - 76.5%
- 2011 BMW 123 - 76.6%