2020 BMW 218: MOT pass rate and reliability
89.8% of 2020 BMW 218s pass the MOT first time, measured across 2,146 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 27,848 miles.
How the 2020 compares
- Against all BMW 218s (86%, 46,731 tests): +3.8 points
- Against all 2020 cars (89.4%): +0.4 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW 218 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2020 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 218:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 81.8% | 2,304 | 79,485 |
| 2015 | 84.4% | 8,789 | 70,571 |
| 2016 | 84.7% | 11,770 | 62,812 |
| 2017 | 86.5% | 9,900 | 54,116 |
| 2018 | 88% | 8,026 | 45,120 |
| 2019 | 88.4% | 3,747 | 34,036 |
| 2020 | 89.8% | 2,146 | 27,848 |
What this means if you are buying a 2020 218
The 2020 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 3.8 points more often than the BMW 218 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 6-year-old car fails on
A 2020 car is 6 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 low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2020 BMW 218 the average at test was 27,848 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.
2020 is the strongest year on record for this model at 89.8%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.
Nearby model years
- 2017 BMW 218 - 86.5%
- 2018 BMW 218 - 88%
- 2019 BMW 218 - 88.4%