Is the BMW I3 reliable?

On MOT evidence the BMW I3 is well above average. It passes 84.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW I3?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 26.1% of failed BMW I3 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a BMW I3?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 23.2% of all BMW I3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a BMW I3 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 41,956 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a BMW I3 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.3% of BMW I3 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 80.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most BMW I3 models petrol or diesel?

Of the BMW I3 cars tested, 68% are electric, 32% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

BMW I3 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 26,183 recorded MOT tests of the BMW I3, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The BMW I3 passes 84.3% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average. Based on 26,183 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre seriously damaged, which appears in 26.1% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 41,956 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

84.3%national average72.3%unadjusted86.9%range covered62%

The I3 is 12.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 86.9%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed BMW I3 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A tyre seriously damaged26.1%
702 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements22.7%
612 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.4%
279 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.1%
245 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.8%
237 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
6.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen8.2%
220 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.9%
159 occurrencesDirection indicator not working explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged5.9%
159 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction3.5%
95 occurrencesAirbag warning lamp on, or airbag missing explained
10.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage3.5%
93 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all BMW I3 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.A tyre seriously damaged23.2%
6,065 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.1%
6,039 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.3%
2,689 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm4.3%
1,128 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting3.5%
916 testsRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.0%
784 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged2.3%
592 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Nail in tyre2.0%
520 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs89%

6–8 yrs87%

9–11 yrs81%

12–14 yrs81%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The I3 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 41,956
Fuel mix of tested cars: Electric68.0%
Hybrid32.0%

Check a specific BMW I3

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other BMW models

BMW 3 Series — 80.0% adjusted
BMW 1 Series — 77.6% adjusted
BMW 5 Series — 82.0% adjusted
BMW 2 Series — 82.9% adjusted
BMW X1 — 79.5% adjusted
BMW 4 Series — 83.2% adjusted
All BMW models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Seat Alhambra — 73.2% adjusted, ranked 133
Renault Zoe — 65.7% adjusted, ranked 214
Toyota Verso — 72.1% adjusted, ranked 149
Mercedes-Benz S-Class — 84.7% adjusted, ranked 21

Common questions

Is the BMW I3 reliable?: On MOT evidence the BMW I3 is well above average. It passes 84.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW I3?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 26.1% of failed BMW I3 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a BMW I3?: The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 23.2% of all BMW I3 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a BMW I3 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 41,956 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a BMW I3 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.3% of BMW I3 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 80.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most BMW I3 models petrol or diesel?: Of the BMW I3 cars tested, 68% are electric, 32% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.