Pass rate
76.7%
Around average — 3.4 pts ahead of the 73.3% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 150 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £27–£69
2001 BMW 735 MOT pass rate
- 2001
- typical 118,156 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
24.3% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2002 77.8% pass
- Avoid 2003 75.8% pass
Across the 4 years on record, a spread of 2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 70.6%
- Typical mileage
- 118k mi
The 2001 BMW 735 MOT pass rate is 76.7% of its MOT tests — 3.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.3% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.8× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 15.6% of everything recorded on the 2001 BMW 735, against 5.5% nationally — 10.1 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 24.3%, 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 73.3% and this one manages 76.7% — 3.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 32% 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 735? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2001 BMW 735 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.3%, so this figure is 3.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 70.6%. The median 2001 BMW 735 in this dataset had covered 118,156 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.9% of the time, April–September 77.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 6.00% of tests.
- 150 recorded tests behind this page.
- 76.7% overall pass rate, 70.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 735, the average is 76.8% — best year 2002 (77.8%), worst 2003 (75.8%).
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
- 150
- Typical mileage (median)
- 118,156 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 735
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 735 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the 735
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 63 | 79.4% |
| Yorkshire | 16 | 68.8% |
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 2001 735
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 2001 735
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 suspension joints 6.0% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 3.3% of tests
“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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 2.7% of tests
“washers provides insufficient washer liquid”
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.
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 2001 735 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £27–£69 — and 32% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £27–£69
- Cheapest common item: washers provides insufficient washer liquid
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: chassis condition corroded to the extent that…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 32%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 150 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 735, side by side
4 model years on record, from 2000 to 2003. Across them the pass rate runs from 75.8% to 77.8% — a spread of 2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 76.7% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2001 76.7%ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 77.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2003 75.8% 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 2001 BMW 735 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 2001 cars with a similar record
- Toyota Corolla 76.7%
- MG Mgf 76.8%
- Lexus IS200 77.6%
- Saab 9-3 75.8%
- Toyota RAV4 75.6%
- Mazda Mx-5 75.5%
Closest pass rates among 2001 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 2001 BMW 735 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 332 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 | 81 | 24.30% | 20.98% | +3.32 |
| Brakes | 74 | 22.20% | 20.89% | +1.31 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 52 | 15.60% | 5.52% | +10.08 |
| Tyres | 46 | 13.80% | 19.76% | −5.96 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 23 | 6.90% | 12.21% | −5.31 |
| Steering | 20 | 6.00% | 2.57% | +3.43 |
| Visibility | 14 | 4.20% | 4.97% | −0.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 9 | 2.70% | 4.18% | −1.48 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8 | 2.40% | 5.57% | −3.17 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5 | 1.50% | 0.82% | +0.68 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 6.0% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.7% | £18–45 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.3% | £5–20 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.7% | £45–110 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 2.7% | £5–15 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency less than 50% of the required value Brakes | Major | 2.0% | £45–110 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 1.3% | £3–15 |
| Chassis condition corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.3% | £180–450 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 1.3% | £25–65 |
| Headlamp not working on main beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.3% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 29.3% | £200–700 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 15.3% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 14.7% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 10.0% | £45–95 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.3% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 8.7% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 2 | 100.0% | 23,640 mi |
| 30-60k | 17 | 100.0% | 51,340 mi |
| 60-90k | 11 | 72.7% | 75,234 mi |
| 90-120k | 42 | 69.0% | 106,060 mi |
| 120k+ | 67 | 76.1% | 167,016 mi |
Source: 150 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.
2001 735 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2001 BMW 735?
76.7% of the 150 2001 BMW 735 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.3% for cars first used in 2001. First-attempt pass rate: 70.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2001 BMW 735?
The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (6.00%), ball joint excessively worn (4.67%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.33%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2001 BMW 735 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 76.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2001 BMW 735 in this dataset had covered 118,156 mi.
Does the season affect the 2001 BMW 735 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 77.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.