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BMW, Every model, MOT record and UK numbers

2,137,676 BMWs are licensed in the UK, the 5th most of any make. In 2025 they passed 79.3% of initial MOT tests, 7 points above the 72.3% UK average and 18th of 63 makes.

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What Carpeep finds on BMWs

Based on 143 BMWs checked by Carpeep since November 2025, each vehicle counted once.

  • 24% Outstanding finance 34 of 143 checked
  • 9.8% Insurance write-off 14 of 143 checked
  • 4.2% Mileage discrepancy 6 of 143 checked

Fewer than 5 of those checked had a theft on record. 34% had three or more previous keepers, with a median of 2. 55% had a number plate change recorded, often a private plate transfer rather than a warning sign. None were recorded as imported, exported or scrapped.

Each rate counts only the BMWs whose check returned an answer for that record. These rates describe the BMWs Carpeep customers chose to check, mostly cars they were thinking of buying, not every BMW for sale or on the road.

Checking a BMW? Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

BMW history check

BMW models

28 models, most common on UK roads first. The 3 Series is the most common; among models with 10,000 or more MOT tests, the M4 has the highest pass rate at 87.8% and the Z3 the lowest at 70.3%.

  1. 3 Series 474,603 licensed in the UK 76% 3 Series MOT pass rate 12.3 years
  2. 1 Series 436,939 licensed in the UK 76.4% 1 Series MOT pass rate 10.2 years
  3. 5 Series 195,481 licensed in the UK 79.7% 5 Series MOT pass rate 11.2 years
  4. 2 Series 165,361 licensed in the UK 83.8% 2 Series MOT pass rate 7 years
  5. X1 135,093 licensed in the UK 82.4% X1 MOT pass rate 8.3 years
  6. X3 123,755 licensed in the UK 80.8% X3 MOT pass rate 8.9 years
  7. 4 Series 119,565 licensed in the UK 83.6% 4 Series MOT pass rate 7.8 years
  8. X5 105,687 licensed in the UK 80.3% X5 MOT pass rate 10.5 years
  9. i4 43,668 licensed in the UK 84% i4 MOT pass rate 2.9 years
  10. Z4 31,383 licensed in the UK 77.7% Z4 MOT pass rate 14.4 years
  11. X2 28,358 licensed in the UK 86% X2 MOT pass rate 5.3 years
  12. i3 25,234 licensed in the UK 86.9% i3 MOT pass rate 6.3 years
  13. iX3 20,580 licensed in the UK 85.4% iX3 MOT pass rate 3.3 years
  14. iX 20,105 licensed in the UK 85.9% iX MOT pass rate 3 years
  15. M3 19,414 licensed in the UK 86.8% M3 MOT pass rate 16 years
  16. 6 Series 19,336 licensed in the UK 79.6% 6 Series MOT pass rate 13.1 years
  17. X4 19,289 licensed in the UK 84.6% X4 MOT pass rate 6.9 years
  18. 7 Series 16,606 licensed in the UK 84.5% 7 Series MOT pass rate 11.8 years
  19. X6 15,674 licensed in the UK 83.2% X6 MOT pass rate 9.3 years
  20. M4 15,258 licensed in the UK 87.8% M4 MOT pass rate 7 years
  21. M2 9,947 licensed in the UK 88.5% M2 MOT pass rate 7.4 years
  22. Z3 8,262 licensed in the UK 70.3% Z3 MOT pass rate 25.6 years
  23. 8 Series 7,415 licensed in the UK 84.7% 8 Series MOT pass rate 7.4 years
  24. M5 7,356 licensed in the UK 87.6% M5 MOT pass rate 15.7 years
  25. X7 6,786 licensed in the UK 85.9% X7 MOT pass rate 4.3 years
  26. X3 M 2,467 licensed in the UK 90.7% X3 M MOT pass rate 4.7 years
  27. i8 2,036 licensed in the UK 89.8% i8 MOT pass rate 8.5 years
  28. Alpina Not shown 83.7% Alpina MOT pass rate 15 years

Licensed vehicles from DfT statistics, June 2026. Models without a comparable DfT figure are placed by their MOT tests. Pass rates are for initial MOT tests in 2025.

BMW at the MOT

79.3% of 1,887,439 initial MOT tests passed in 2025, placing BMW 18th of 63 makes. The rate falls by 18 points between the youngest and oldest cars, so compare a model with others of a similar age.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • BMW79.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Model pass rates partly reflect age: models that left sale years ago are tested as older cars, which fail more often. Compare MOT pass rates for every make.

Pass rate by age at test

Every BMW tested in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years351,102 tests88.3%
  • 6 to 10 years744,683 tests82.7%
  • 11 years and over704,568 tests70.3%

BMWs in the UK

2,137,676 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 44% since the end of 2014. The 3 Series, 1 Series and 5 Series account for 52% of them.

Change since 2014
+44%from 1,486,940 licensed
Typical year of first use
2017half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2017 or earlier
First registered in 2025
125,870against 183,792 in 2016
Declared off the road
267,66811% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed BMWs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20141,486,940
End of 20151,583,785
End of 20161,689,794
End of 20171,772,448
End of 20181,846,066
End of 20191,918,612
End of 20201,945,017
End of 20211,990,009
End of 20222,028,244
End of 20232,045,732
End of 20242,072,162
End of 20252,110,546
End of June 20262,137,676

How old they are

Licensed BMWs by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 93,480 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2025116,387125,870
2024120,841127,609
2023106,005113,494
202298,614110,071
2021104,960117,767
2020103,806116,498
2019152,394170,809
2018150,362173,270
2017150,490176,315
2016156,645183,792
2015141,130168,555
2014119,575
2013103,130
201288,548
201168,462
201058,101
200948,292
200840,355
200739,358
200631,541

BMW head-to-head comparisons

Popular rivals compared on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Already found a BMW?

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More on the BMW history check. To confirm a car's identity, see what a BMW VIN should look like.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded). Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.