2009 BMW M3: MOT pass rate and reliability
90.4% of 2009 BMW M3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 685 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 78,043 miles.
How the 2009 compares
- Against all BMW M3s (88.3%, 15,037 tests): +2.1 points
- Against all 2009 cars (66.1%): +24.3 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW M3 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2009 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW M3:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 87.4% | 207 | 106,407 |
| 2001 | 86.4% | 302 | 110,722 |
| 2002 | 85.1% | 1,195 | 105,643 |
| 2003 | 86.9% | 1,882 | 99,818 |
| 2004 | 87% | 1,372 | 95,265 |
| 2005 | 86.5% | 970 | 91,066 |
| 2006 | 89.5% | 344 | 83,807 |
| 2007 | 90.4% | 416 | 88,740 |
| 2008 | 88.3% | 1,085 | 82,863 |
| 2009 | 90.4% | 685 | 78,043 |
| 2010 | 89.5% | 619 | 73,718 |
| 2011 | 88% | 661 | 69,595 |
| 2012 | 89.7% | 571 | 59,648 |
| 2013 | 91.6% | 442 | 53,762 |
| 2014 | 87.6% | 226 | 62,841 |
| 2015 | 91.2% | 543 | 56,697 |
| 2016 | 89.3% | 758 | 49,586 |
| 2017 | 90.3% | 960 | 43,062 |
| 2018 | 92.1% | 813 | 38,225 |
What this means if you are buying a 2009 M3
The 2009 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 2.1 points more often than the BMW M3 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 17-year-old car fails on
A 2009 car is 17 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 a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2009 BMW M3 the average at test was 78,043 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 2018 at 92.1%, and the weakest in our data is 2002 at 85.1%. That 7.0 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2009 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2006 BMW M3 - 89.5%
- 2007 BMW M3 - 90.4%
- 2008 BMW M3 - 88.3%
- 2010 BMW M3 - 89.5%
- 2011 BMW M3 - 88%
- 2012 BMW M3 - 89.7%