BMW 114 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW 114 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW 114 passed on its first attempt in 78.2%, and its overall record sits +0.9 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW 114 in the 2023–2025 data: 11,900 tests across 4 model years (2012–2015). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common BMW 114 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW 114, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the BMW 114's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded BMW 114 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW 114, each with how many of the model's 11,900 tests it was noted on.

• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 709 BMW 114 tests, 6.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 389 BMW 114 tests, 3.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 240 BMW 114 tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Rectified) — noted on about 231 BMW 114 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 162 BMW 114 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (Major) — noted on about 137 BMW 114 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW 114 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW 114 model year on record is 2014 (82.9% across 4,010 tests), and the weakest is 2013 (81.1%). The gap between them is 1.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for BMW 114 Owners

These checks follow this BMW 114's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW 114.

• the lights — “position lamp not working”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

• the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW 114. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: BMW 114 MOT & Reliability