Pass rate
80.8%
Around average — 3.6 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 24,620 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £32–£82
2012 BMW X3 MOT pass rate
- 2012
- 2 trims combined
- typical 103,853 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
21.0% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
3.2 pts down across model years — 6.7% in 2004, 3.5% in 2021.
Which year to buy
- Best 2022 96.1% pass
- Avoid 2005 75.1% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 21 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 76.6%
- Typical mileage
- 104k mi
The 2012 BMW X3 MOT pass rate is 80.8% of its MOT tests — 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.0% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Advisories: 3.9× the national share
Advisories make up 16.4% of everything recorded on the 2012 BMW X3, against 4.2% nationally — 12.2 points above. Tyres are still the single largest share at 21.0%, 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 80.8% — 3.6 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 X3? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every BMW X3 first registered in 2012 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2012 BMW X3 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 76.6%. The median 2012 BMW X3 in this dataset had covered 103,853 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 99% of tests, with a 80.8% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 80.9% of the time, April–September 80.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Side repeaters not working", noted on 4.89% of tests.
- 24,620 recorded tests behind this page.
- 80.8% overall pass rate, 76.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW X3, the average is 85.3% — best year 2022 (96.1%), worst 2005 (75.1%).
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
- 24,620
- Typical mileage (median)
- 103,853 mi
- Make and model
- BMW X3
- 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 X3 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 71% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (99% of tests).
Where the BMW X3 is most common
Across all X3 model years on record (2004–2022): 143,421 BMW X3 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 317,965 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 4,089 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) | 4,089 | 88.0% |
| 2 | Guildford (GU) | 3,211 | 84.3% |
| 3 | Reading (RG) | 3,008 | 85.0% |
| 4 | Peterborough (PE) | 2,786 | 85.9% |
| 5 | Sheffield (S) | 2,590 | 87.3% |
| 6 | Leicester (LE) | 2,467 | 86.8% |
| 7 | Nottingham (NG) | 2,377 | 85.1% |
| 8 | Ashford (TN) | 2,175 | 84.2% |
| 9 | Glasgow (G) | 2,173 | 85.2% |
| 10 | Coventry (CV) | 2,141 | 88.1% |
| 11 | High Wycombe (HP) | 2,122 | 86.5% |
| 12 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 2,111 | 86.6% |
| 13 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 2,065 | 87.0% |
| 14 | Manchester (M) | 1,966 | 85.8% |
| 15 | Crawley (RH) | 1,914 | 84.7% |
| 16 | Chelmsford (CM) | 1,907 | 85.9% |
| 17 | Bristol (BS) | 1,853 | 82.4% |
| 18 | Slough (SL) | 1,819 | 88.8% |
| 19 | Brighton (BN) | 1,800 | 82.8% |
| 20 | Gloucester (GL) | 1,769 | 83.1% |
The twenty areas with the most BMW X3 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 X3
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 5,773 | 80.4% |
| South West | 3,021 | 78.6% |
| East of England | 2,986 | 82.0% |
| North West | 2,821 | 80.7% |
| West Midlands | 2,316 | 83.6% |
| Yorkshire | 1,976 | 82.6% |
| East Midlands | 1,819 | 81.6% |
| Scotland | 1,520 | 77.7% |
| Wales | 1,062 | 79.7% |
| North East | 887 | 79.8% |
| London | 439 | 85.2% |
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 X3
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 X3
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 coil springs 3.4% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
-
Check the windscreen 3.4% 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 lights 1.6% of tests
“position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning”
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.
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 X3 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £32–£82 — and 32% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £32–£82
- Cheapest common item: side repeaters not working
- £5–£25
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 32%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 24,620 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 X3, side by side
19 model years on record, from 2004 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 75.1% to 96.1% — a spread of 21 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2004 76.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2005 75.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 76.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2007 77.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 79.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 79.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 81.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 82.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2012 80.8%side repeaters not working
- 2013 81.6% side repeaters not working
- 2014 82.8% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2015 85.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2016 85.9% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2017 87.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 90.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 91.5% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2020 91.4% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 92.6% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2022 96.1% 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 2012 BMW X3 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
- Suzuki Grand Vitara 80.8%
- Audi A4 81.0%
- Toyota Auris 81.0%
- Toyota Avensis 81.1%
- MINI COOPER D 81.1%
- London Taxis Int TX4 80.5%
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 X3 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 36,856 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 | 7,797 | 21.00% | 19.76% | +1.24 |
| Suspension | 7,162 | 19.30% | 20.98% | −1.68 |
| Non-component advisories | 6,076 | 16.40% | 4.18% | +12.22 |
| Brakes | 5,804 | 15.60% | 20.89% | −5.29 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5,277 | 14.20% | 12.21% | +1.99 |
| Visibility | 1,745 | 4.70% | 4.97% | −0.27 |
| Steering | 1,131 | 3.00% | 2.57% | +0.43 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 841 | 2.30% | 5.52% | −3.22 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 563 | 1.50% | 1.76% | −0.26 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 460 | 1.20% | 5.57% | −4.37 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side repeaters not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.9% | £5–25 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 3.4% | £25–65 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.4% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.6% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.3% | £30–80 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.1% | £30–80 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.0% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.99% | £30–80 |
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 | 19.6% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 18.5% | £120–300 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 9.2% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 6.6% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 5.9% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 4.8% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 136 | 89.7% | 23,429 mi |
| 30-60k | 1,873 | 85.5% | 49,404 mi |
| 60-90k | 6,160 | 82.1% | 77,115 mi |
| 90-120k | 8,706 | 80.1% | 104,657 mi |
| 120k+ | 7,741 | 79.4% | 144,558 mi |
Source: 24,620 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 X3 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 BMW X3?
80.8% of the 24,620 2012 BMW X3 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 76.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 BMW X3?
The three most recorded items are side repeaters not working (4.89%), coil spring fractured or broken (3.41%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.38%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 BMW X3 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 89.7% of the time, falling to 79.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 BMW X3 in this dataset had covered 103,853 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 BMW X3?
Diesel: 80.8% pass rate across 24,494 tests. Petrol: 88.9% pass rate across 126 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 BMW X3 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 80.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 80.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.