BMW 125 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW 125 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW 125 passed on its first attempt in 82.9%, and its overall record sits +4.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW 125 in the 2023–2025 data: 15,180 tests across 12 model years (2008–2019). 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 125 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW 125, the Visibility 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 125's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded BMW 125 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW 125, each with how many of the model's 15,180 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 506 BMW 125 tests, 3.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 283 BMW 125 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 214 BMW 125 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 200 BMW 125 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (Major) — noted on about 129 BMW 125 tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 107 BMW 125 tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW 125 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW 125 model year on record is 2018 (90.8% across 240 tests), and the weakest is 2013 (82.2%). The gap between them is 8.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

BMW 125 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.4 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for BMW 125 Owners

These checks follow this BMW 125's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW 125.

• 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 shock absorbers — “shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”

  Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW 125. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the BMW 125 is most common

Across every 125 model year on record (2008–2019): 7,051 BMW 125 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 15,174 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 221 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most BMW 125 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: BMW 125 MOT & Reliability