2009 BMW X3: MOT pass rate and reliability
75.5% of 2009 BMW X3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,327 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 117,367 miles.
How the 2009 compares
- Against all BMW X3s (82.7%, 92,297 tests): -7.2 points
- Against all 2009 cars (66.1%): +9.4 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW X3 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 X3:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 71.9% | 2,139 | 123,893 |
| 2005 | 67.6% | 2,561 | 139,973 |
| 2006 | 70.9% | 3,043 | 136,543 |
| 2007 | 70.9% | 2,260 | 130,214 |
| 2008 | 75.7% | 1,483 | 120,629 |
| 2009 | 75.5% | 1,327 | 117,367 |
| 2010 | 78.3% | 913 | 115,249 |
| 2011 | 78.6% | 3,970 | 111,385 |
| 2012 | 75.8% | 6,765 | 105,733 |
| 2013 | 77.5% | 7,116 | 98,997 |
| 2014 | 79.2% | 6,051 | 91,402 |
| 2015 | 82.6% | 7,002 | 81,779 |
| 2016 | 83.7% | 9,028 | 70,060 |
| 2017 | 86.3% | 8,131 | 61,602 |
| 2018 | 90.4% | 8,110 | 49,193 |
| 2019 | 90% | 15,070 | 42,124 |
| 2020 | 90.1% | 5,290 | 34,221 |
| 2021 | 91.5% | 2,031 | 25,324 |
What this means if you are buying a 2009 X3
The 2009 is a weaker year for this model, passing 7.2 points less often than the BMW X3 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2009 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2009 BMW X3 the average at test was 117,367 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 2021 at 91.5%, and the weakest in our data is 2005 at 67.6%. That 23.9 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 X3 - 70.9%
- 2007 BMW X3 - 70.9%
- 2008 BMW X3 - 75.7%
- 2010 BMW X3 - 78.3%
- 2011 BMW X3 - 78.6%
- 2012 BMW X3 - 75.8%