BMW 218i Luxury: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 218i Luxury passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 12 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 754 individual BMW 218i Luxury tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 88.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 11 in every 100 BMW 218i Luxuries presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average BMW 218i Luxury tested had covered 35,193 miles and was built around 2019.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a BMW 218i Luxury bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 218i Luxury 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 218i Luxuries actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 218i Luxury

1. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.3% of tests
2. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.5% of tests
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.3% of tests
4. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.2% of tests
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.7% of tests
6. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.6% of tests
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.6% of tests
8. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 0.5% of tests
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.4% of tests
10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.4% of tests

From 1,121 DVSA-tracked BMW 218i Luxury tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.92% of these flagged BMW 218i Luxury defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

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

• Ford Transit Custom 290sprt Eblue A - 88.7%
• Vauxhall Grandland X Businss Ed Nav T D - 88.7%
• Vauxhall Corsa Griffin Auto - 88.7%
• Kia Xceed 2 Crdi Isg - 88.7%
• Volvo V60 R-Design T6 Recharge Awd A - 88.7%
• Suzuki Vitara - 88.6%

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