Pass rate
82.8%
Around average — 5.6 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 87 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £44–£112
2012 BMW 330 MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 77,134 mi
Only 87 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Tyres
25.8% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 89.6% pass
- Avoid 2003 73.8% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 15.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 79.2%
- Typical mileage
- 77k mi
The 2012 BMW 330 MOT pass rate is 82.8% of its MOT tests — 5.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.8% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how BMW 330 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Advisories: 3.0× the national share
Advisories make up 12.4% of everything recorded on the 2012 BMW 330, against 4.2% nationally — 8.2 points above. Tyres are still the single largest share at 25.8%, but at 19.8% nationally that one is ordinary. Most of what testers record here is advisory — worth reading, not worth walking away from on its own.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 77.2% and this one manages 82.8% — 5.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 27% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a BMW 330? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 BMW 330 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 5.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 79.2%. The median 2012 BMW 330 in this dataset had covered 77,134 mi.
86% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 81.3% of the time.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 4.60% of tests.
- 87 recorded tests behind this page.
- 82.8% overall pass rate, 79.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 330, the average is 88.9% — best year 2019 (89.6%), worst 2003 (73.8%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 87
- Typical mileage (median)
- 77,134 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 330
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the 330 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (86% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the 330
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 26 | 69.2% |
| North West | 17 | 88.2% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2012 330
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2012 330
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the windscreen 4.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 2.3% of tests
“wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
-
Check the brake pipes 1.1% of tests
“flexible brake hoses excessively twisted”
Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2012 330 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £44–£112 — and 27% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £44–£112
- Cheapest common item: wipers does not clear the windscreen…
- £8–£22
- Dearest common item: fuel cap/sealing device missing
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 27%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 87 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the 330, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2001 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.8% to 89.6% — a spread of 15.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 84.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 78.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 73.8% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2005 80.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 80.6% position lamp with a multiple…
- 2007 74.0% position lamp with a multiple…
- 2008 86.7% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2011 81.9% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2012 82.8%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 85.5% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2014 82.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 87.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 89.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 89.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 89.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 89.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 88.1% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 89.3% has a cut in excess of the…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2012 BMW 330 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2012 cars with a similar record
- Toyota Rav-4 82.8%
- Honda Cr-Z 82.8%
- Honda Civic 82.7%
- Land Rover Range Rover 82.9%
- Audi Q5 83.0%
- Volkswagen Touareg 83.1%
Closest pass rates among 2012 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2012 BMW 330 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 95 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 25 | 25.80% | 19.76% | +6.04 |
| Suspension | 18 | 18.60% | 20.98% | −2.38 |
| Non-component advisories | 12 | 12.40% | 4.18% | +8.22 |
| Brakes | 11 | 11.30% | 20.89% | −9.59 |
| Visibility | 8 | 8.20% | 4.97% | +3.23 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7 | 7.20% | 5.52% | +1.68 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6 | 6.20% | 12.21% | −6.01 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4 | 4.10% | 0.82% | +3.28 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 2 | 2.10% | 5.57% | −3.47 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 2 | 2.10% | 1.76% | +0.34 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.6% | £80–200 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 2.3% | £45–95 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 2.3% | £8–22 |
| Flexible brake hoses excessively twisted Brakes | Major | 1.1% | £25–70 |
| Fuel cap/sealing device missing Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.1% | £80–250 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.1% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.1% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.1% | £5–25 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 10.3% | £30–75 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 9.2% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 8.1% | £18–45 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 6.9% | £120–300 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 5.8% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 5.8% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5 | 100.0% | 16,416 mi |
| 30-60k | 20 | 85.0% | 42,909 mi |
| 60-90k | 29 | 82.8% | 73,730 mi |
| 90-120k | 12 | 75.0% | 101,809 mi |
| 120k+ | 21 | 81.0% | 153,652 mi |
Source: 87 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2012 330 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 BMW 330?
82.8% of the 87 2012 BMW 330 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 79.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 BMW 330?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.60%), has ply or cords exposed (2.30%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (2.30%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 BMW 330 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 81.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 BMW 330 in this dataset had covered 77,134 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 BMW 330?
Diesel: 81.3% pass rate across 75 tests. Hybrid: 91.7% pass rate across 12 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.