Pass rate
90.5%
Above average — 17.4 pts ahead of the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 116 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £27–£64
2008 BMW 335 MOT pass rate
- 2008
- typical 75,279 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
22.4% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £40–£65 for Shock absorber leaking. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 91.8% pass
- Avoid 2007 82.2% pass
Across the 12 years on record, a spread of 9.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 89.7%
- Typical mileage
- 75k mi
The 2008 BMW 335 MOT pass rate is 90.5% of its MOT tests — 17.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.4% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.2× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 12.2% of everything recorded on the 2008 BMW 335, against 5.5% nationally — 6.7 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 22.4%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- 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 73.1% and this one manages 90.5% — 17.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 17% 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 335? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2008 BMW 335 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 17.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 89.7%. The median 2008 BMW 335 in this dataset had covered 75,279 mi.
86% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 89.0% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 88.3% of the time, April–September 92.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Has ply or cords exposed", noted on 2.59% of tests.
- 116 recorded tests behind this page.
- 90.5% overall pass rate, 89.7% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 335, the average is 89.2% — best year 2019 (91.8%), worst 2007 (82.2%).
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
- 116
- Typical mileage (median)
- 75,279 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 335
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 335 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 78% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (86% of tests).
Where the BMW 335 is most common
Across all 335 model years on record (2007–2019): 7,808 BMW 335 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 15,783 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 266 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 266 | 91.4% |
| 2 | Sheffield (S) | 211 | 92.5% |
| 3 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 178 | 92.1% |
| 4 | Glasgow (G) | 178 | 90.9% |
| 5 | Nottingham (NG) | 177 | 83.7% |
| 6 | Peterborough (PE) | 167 | 90.4% |
| 7 | Leicester (LE) | 158 | 92.0% |
| 8 | Edinburgh (EH) | 145 | 86.8% |
| 9 | Coventry (CV) | 135 | 92.4% |
| 10 | Aberdeen (AB) | 133 | 86.3% |
| 11 | Leeds (LS) | 128 | 93.1% |
| 12 | Reading (RG) | 125 | 83.1% |
| 13 | Middlesbrough (TS) | 124 | 89.9% |
| 14 | Doncaster (DN) | 120 | 91.5% |
| 15 | High Wycombe (HP) | 116 | 92.8% |
| 16 | Derby (DE) | 112 | 90.0% |
| 17 | Manchester (M) | 110 | 90.5% |
| 18 | Warrington (WA) | 110 | 91.6% |
| 19 | Blackburn (BB) | 109 | 93.7% |
| 20 | Bradford (BD) | 107 | 94.3% |
The twenty areas with the most BMW 335 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 →
Regional pass rates for the 335
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 33 | 84.8% |
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 2008 335
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 2008 335
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 shock absorbers 2.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 1.7% of tests
“headlamp aim too low”
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.
-
Check the suspension joints 1.7% of tests
“linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
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 2008 335 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £27–£64 — and 17% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £27–£64
- Cheapest common item: all direction indicators flashing more than…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: has ply or cords exposed
- £45–£95
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 17%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 116 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 335, side by side
12 model years on record, from 2007 to 2019. Across them the pass rate runs from 82.2% to 91.8% — a spread of 9.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2007 82.2% position lamp with a multiple…
- 2008 90.5%has ply or cords exposed
- 2009 86.2% has ply or cords exposed
- 2010 90.0% ball joint excessively worn
- 2011 88.6% headlamp not working on dipped…
- 2013 88.8% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2014 82.9% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2015 90.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 89.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 88.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 91.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 91.8% windscreen damaged but not…
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 2008 BMW 335 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 2008 cars with a similar record
- Porsche 911 91.0%
- Bentley Continental 91.4%
- Porsche Boxster 89.4%
- Audi A8 87.0%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 86.7%
- Toyota Estima 84.8%
Closest pass rates among 2008 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 2008 BMW 335 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 146 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 33 | 22.40% | 20.98% | +1.42 |
| Tyres | 29 | 19.70% | 19.76% | −0.06 |
| Brakes | 27 | 18.40% | 20.89% | −2.49 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 18 | 12.20% | 5.52% | +6.68 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 16 | 10.90% | 12.21% | −1.31 |
| Non-component advisories | 7 | 4.80% | 4.18% | +0.62 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5 | 3.40% | 5.57% | −2.17 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 5 | 3.40% | 1.76% | +1.64 |
| Visibility | 4 | 2.70% | 4.97% | −2.27 |
| Steering | 2 | 1.40% | 2.57% | −1.17 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 2.6% | £45–95 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 2.6% | £30–75 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.7% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp levelling device inoperative Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.7% | £5–25 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 1.7% | £18–45 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.7% | £45–95 |
| All direction indicators flashing more than 120 times a minute Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.86% | £3–12 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 0.86% | £18–45 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 0.86% | £18–45 |
| Fractured Road Wheels | Major | 0.86% | £20–55 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 12.9% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 11.2% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.8% | £18–45 |
| Flexible brake hoses excessively deteriorated Brakes | Advisory | 6.9% | £25–70 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 5.2% | £30–75 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 4.3% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3 | 100.0% | 24,254 mi |
| 30-60k | 31 | 93.5% | 50,580 mi |
| 60-90k | 45 | 86.7% | 73,326 mi |
| 90-120k | 20 | 90.0% | 100,502 mi |
| 120k+ | 17 | 94.1% | 149,613 mi |
Source: 116 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.
2008 335 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 BMW 335?
90.5% of the 116 2008 BMW 335 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 89.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 BMW 335?
The three most recorded items are has ply or cords exposed (2.59%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (2.59%), headlamp aim too low (1.72%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 BMW 335 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 94.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 BMW 335 in this dataset had covered 75,279 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 BMW 335?
Petrol: 89.0% pass rate across 100 tests. Diesel: 100.0% pass rate across 16 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 BMW 335 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 88.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 92.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.