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BMW 1 Series, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

436,939 BMW 1 Series are licensed in the UK, the 15th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 76.4% of initial MOT tests, 4.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific 1 Series? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

BMW 1 Series at the MOT

76.4% of 395,011 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 1 Series 244th of 575 models. BMW 1 Series aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 67.3%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • BMW 1 Series76.4%
  • All BMW modelsThe 1 Series is 2.9 pts behind79.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

BMW 1 Series tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years64,382 tests88.6%
  • 6 to 10 years151,048 tests80.2%
  • 11 years and over167,780 tests67.3%

Where 1 Series fail

Share of all failure items recorded on BMW 1 Series tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment25.5%
  • Tyres19.5%
  • Suspension15.8%
  • Brakes15.3%
  • Visibility9.3%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.4%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.5%) and position lamp not working (4.7%).

The MOT page lists every common 1 Series MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full BMW 1 Series MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The 1 Series's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.25.5% of 1 Series failure items

  2. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.19.5% of 1 Series failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.8% of 1 Series failure items

BMW 1 Series in the UK

436,939 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any BMW. The number licensed has grown 53% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+53%from 284,847 licensed
Typical year of first use
2016half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2016 or earlier
First registered in 2025
21,167against 35,021 in 2017
Declared off the road
25,0665.4% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed BMW 1 Series since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014284,847
End of 2015314,444
End of 2016342,963
End of 2017370,902
End of 2018388,743
End of 2019407,940
End of 2020418,421
End of 2021425,983
End of 2022426,484
End of 2023430,556
End of 2024434,988
End of 2025435,262
End of June 2026436,939

How old they are

Licensed BMW 1 Series by year of first use.

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

A further 4,485 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
202517,22821,167
202420,67824,983
202319,34023,226
202211,00314,160
202115,01919,243
202020,22025,059
201922,88528,792
201821,76128,203
201727,38535,021
201628,18034,430
201528,79534,439
201426,968
201331,776
201225,226
201118,913
201018,727
200915,447
200811,145
20076,739
20065,549

28,795 1 Series first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 84% of the 34,439 first registered that year.

1 Series engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 46% of BMW 1 Series MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.5 litre at 33%. Petrol accounts for 49% of licensed 1 Series and diesel for 44%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 394,885 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre46.4%
  • 1.5 litre32.9%
  • 1.6 litre14.8%
  • 3.0 litre5.9%

Fuel type, licensed 1 Series

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol213,84749%
Diesel190,46244%
Hybrid electric32,6277%
Gas3<0.1%

BMW 1 Series recalls

36 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW 1 Series. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 1 Series is affected.

  1. Jan 2026 R/2025/327

    Replace the Driver's Airbag - Takata PSDI-5

    1 Series built Jan 2006 to Oct 2013 · 370,257 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may be fitted with a drivers airbag which may deploy with too much explosive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released into the cabin. It has the potential to fatally or seriously injure vehicle occupants.
    Remedy
    Affected vehicles will have the airbag replaced.

  2. Dec 2025 R/2025/349

    Takata Driver and/or Passenger Airbag Recall (Global VINs)

    1 Series built Apr 2004 to Nov 2017 · 71,635 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles are already included in Safety Recalls within the markets they have previously resided in. The vehicles may be fitted with a driver and/or passenger airbag/s which if deployed may do so with excessive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released this may cause serious injury which could prove fatal to people in the vicinity.
    Remedy
    Vehicles will have the affected airbags checked and if necessary replaced.

  3. Oct 2025 R/2025/405

    Replace the Engine Starter Motor

    1 Series built Feb 2017 to May 2019 · 91,562 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    For affected vehicles there is a concern involving water ingress and corrosion to the starter motor for where a short circuit cannot be ruled out. It is strongly recommended to park the vehicle outdoors and not in the immediate vicinity of buildings until the repair has been carried out.
    Remedy
    Replacement of the starter motor.

  4. Oct 2025 R/2025/443

    Seat Belt Rear Outer Seats

    1 Series built Aug 2025 to Sep 2025 · 5,148 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles either one or both of the outer most rear seats may not have been manufactured correctly and the sensitivity sensor may be deformed. If the sensor is not functioning correctly there is a risk the seat belt may not operate as intended.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the affected seatbelts will be checked and replaced.

  5. Jul 2025 R/2025/267

    Checking the Threaded Connection of Grounding Cable PCU48

    1 Series built Jun 2025 · 361 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the ground connection cable on the 48V power supply control unit may not have been torqued to the correct specification.
    Remedy
    Affected vehicles will have the ground connection checked and re-torqued. If required the relevant cable and Power Control Unit will be replaced.

  6. Nov 2024 R/2024/452

    Rework Front End Threaded Connection (BMW)

    1 Series built Apr 2023 to May 2024 · 13 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the screws connecting the front end to the vehicles body may have been tightened to a torque level lower than required.
    Remedy
    The screws will be replaced if necessary and correctly torqued.

  7. Oct 2024 R/2024/403

    Check Driver's Airbag for Conversion Takata SDI & PSDI-5

    1 Series built Apr 2004 to Nov 2017 · 576,269 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Affected vehicles may have had a retrofit or conversion of the airbag using a previously recalled airbag variant which if deployed may do so with excessive force causing sharp metal fragments to be released this may cause serious injury possibly fatal to people in the vicinity. The original factory fitment airbag for the vehicle is not affected.
    Remedy
    Vehicles will have the airbag checked and if necessary replaced.

  8. Sep 2024 R/2024/383

    Integrated Braking System

    1 Series built Sep 2023 · 49,473 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles the Integrated Brake (IB) system may be impaired due to contamination between electrical contacts.
    Remedy
    Vehicles that may be affected by contamination are required to have the vehicle's software updated which can detect signal interference before it occurs. If symptoms are detected you should refrain from use of the vehicle and the affected Integrated Brake (IB) system component will be replaced.
How to check a specific 1 Series for recalls

1 Series vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other BMW models

The most-tested BMW models in 2025, against the 1 Series's 76.4% MOT pass rate.

All 28 BMW models

BMW 1 Series FAQs

How many BMW 1 Series are there in the UK?

436,939 BMW 1 Series were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 25,066 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the BMW 1 Series reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 76.4% first-time pass rate for the BMW 1 Series across 395,011 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the BMW 1 Series had any recalls?

36 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the BMW 1 Series. The most recent was published in January 2026. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used BMW 1 Series?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres and suspension. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a BMW 1 Series's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a 1 Series?

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

Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the BMW history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the BMW VIN check.

  • 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), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. 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.