BMW 218i Luxury Auto: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 218i Luxury Auto passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 13.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 881 individual BMW 218i Luxury Auto tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 90.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 10 in every 100 BMW 218i Luxury Autos 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 Auto tested had covered 30,853 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. The BMW 218i Luxury Auto sits 13.7 points above the national average, ranked 637 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Auto 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 recorded closing bids for damaged BMW 218i Luxury Autos at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 218i Luxury Auto

1. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.9% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.5% of tests
3. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.9% of tests
4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.8% of tests
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.7% of tests
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.7% of tests
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 0.6% of tests
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 0.5% of tests
9. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud, 0.3% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.3% of tests

From 879 DVSA-tracked BMW 218i Luxury Auto tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.18% of these flagged BMW 218i Luxury Auto defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a BMW 218i Luxury Auto

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a BMW 218i Luxury Auto before it actually fails on it.

1. A tyre seriously damaged, 26.2% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 16.6% of tests, also fails
3. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 7.4% of tests, also fails
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.6% of tests, also fails
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 2.3% of tests
6. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 1.5% of tests
7. An engine mounting/bracket severely damaged or deteriorated resulting in excessive movement, 0.3% of tests (5.47x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 0.2% of tests
9. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 0.2% of tests
10. Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended, 0.2% of tests (2.01x the national rate for this advisory)

From 879 DVSA-tracked BMW 218i Luxury Auto tests, 2024.

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

• Hyundai Tucson Ultimate T-Gdi - 90.4%
• Land Rover Discovery Rdynamic Se D Mhev A - 90.4%
• Fiat 500 Rockstar Mhev - 90.4%
• Aston Martin Rapide - 90.4%
• Vauxhall Crossland Elite Turbo Auto - 90.4%
• Fiat Rapdio - 90.4%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate