Pass rate
88.6%
Above average — 12.7 pts ahead of the 75.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 70 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £39–£124
2011 BMW 335 MOT pass rate
- 2011
- typical 68,517 mi
Only 70 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.
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
22.4% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
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
- 87.3%
- Typical mileage
- 69k mi
The 2011 BMW 335 MOT pass rate is 88.6% of its MOT tests — 12.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.4% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.5× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 13.8% of everything recorded on the 2011 BMW 335, against 5.5% nationally — 8.3 points above. Tyres are still the single largest share at 22.4%, but at 19.8% 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 75.9% and this one manages 88.6% — 12.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 33% 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 2011 BMW 335 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 75.9%, so this figure is 12.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 87.3%. The median 2011 BMW 335 in this dataset had covered 68,517 mi.
83% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 87.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 91.9% of the time, April–September 84.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp not working on dipped beam", noted on 2.86% of tests.
- 70 recorded tests behind this page.
- 88.6% overall pass rate, 87.3% 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
- 70
- Typical mileage (median)
- 68,517 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
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 335 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 69% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (83% 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 West | 16 | 81.3% |
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 2011 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 2011 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 lights 2.9% of tests
“headlamp not working on dipped beam”
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 windscreen 2.9% 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 exhaust and emissions 1.4% of tests
“catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
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 2011 335 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £39–£124 — and 33% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £39–£124
- Cheapest common item: anti-lock braking system warning lamp…
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 33%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 70 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 2011 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 2011 cars with a similar record
- Honda Fit 86.9%
- Audi A8 90.3%
- Porsche Cayenne 86.8%
- Lexus IS250 86.8%
- Jaguar Xkr 86.4%
- Lexus Ct 85.8%
Closest pass rates among 2011 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 2011 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 58 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 | 13 | 22.40% | 19.76% | +2.64 |
| Brakes | 12 | 20.70% | 20.89% | −0.19 |
| Suspension | 9 | 15.50% | 20.98% | −5.48 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8 | 13.80% | 5.52% | +8.28 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6 | 10.30% | 12.21% | −1.91 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 5.20% | 4.18% | +1.02 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3 | 5.20% | 1.76% | +3.44 |
| Visibility | 2 | 3.40% | 4.97% | −1.57 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1 | 1.70% | 5.57% | −3.87 |
| Steering | 1 | 1.70% | 2.57% | −0.87 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.9% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.9% | £80–200 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 1.4% | £3–15 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.4% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.4% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.4% | £60–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 1.4% | £25–65 |
| Electronic stability control warning lamp indicates a fault Brakes | Major | 1.4% | £3–15 |
| Has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 1.4% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.4% | £45–95 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 8.6% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 7.1% | £200–700 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 4.3% | £18–45 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 4.3% | £18–45 |
| Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle | Advisory | 4.3% | £20–80 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Advisory | 2.9% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 25 | 100.0% | 48,670 mi |
| 60-90k | 26 | 80.8% | 74,866 mi |
| 90-120k | 9 | 77.8% | 99,848 mi |
| 120k+ | 10 | 90.0% | 156,101 mi |
Source: 70 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.
2011 335 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2011 BMW 335?
88.6% of the 70 2011 BMW 335 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 75.9% for cars first used in 2011. First-attempt pass rate: 87.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2011 BMW 335?
The three most recorded items are headlamp not working on dipped beam (2.86%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.86%), anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an abs fault (1.43%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2011 BMW 335 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 90.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2011 BMW 335 in this dataset had covered 68,517 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2011 BMW 335?
Petrol: 87.9% pass rate across 58 tests. Diesel: 91.7% pass rate across 12 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2011 BMW 335 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 91.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 84.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.