2021 BMW I3: MOT pass rate and reliability
91.6% of 2021 BMW I3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 3,565 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 20,137 miles.
How the 2021 compares
- Against all BMW I3s (89.7%, 23,645 tests): +1.9 points
- Against all 2021 cars (90%): +1.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW I3 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2021 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW I3:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 85% | 1,181 | 63,360 |
| 2015 | 85.3% | 1,915 | 59,903 |
| 2016 | 86.6% | 2,157 | 56,070 |
| 2017 | 88.2% | 3,182 | 52,373 |
| 2018 | 90.2% | 3,094 | 40,810 |
| 2019 | 91.8% | 4,096 | 32,540 |
| 2020 | 92.2% | 4,178 | 25,640 |
| 2021 | 91.6% | 3,565 | 20,137 |
What this means if you are buying a 2021 I3
The 2021 sits close to the BMW I3 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 a 5-year-old car fails on
A 2021 car is 5 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 2021 BMW I3 the average at test was 20,137 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 2020 at 92.2%, and the weakest in our data is 2014 at 85%. That 7.2 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2021 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2018 BMW I3 - 90.2%
- 2019 BMW I3 - 91.8%
- 2020 BMW I3 - 92.2%