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BMW iX3, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

20,580 BMW iX3s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 85.4% of initial MOT tests, 13.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific iX3? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

BMW iX3 at the MOT

85.4% of 9,598 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the iX3 114th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • BMW iX385.4%
  • All BMW modelsThe iX3 is 6.1 pts ahead79.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Where iX3s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on BMW iX3 tests in 2025.

  • Tyres65.3%
  • Visibility15.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11.4%
  • Suspension2.3%
  • Identification of the vehicle2%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (33.6%), condition has ply or cords exposed (18.3%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (10.3%).

The MOT page lists every common iX3 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full BMW iX3 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The iX3's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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.65.3% of iX3 failure items

  2. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.15.7% of iX3 failure items

  3. 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.11.4% of iX3 failure items

BMW iX3s in the UK

20,580 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 120% since the end of 2022.

Change since 2022
+120%from 9,371 licensed
Typical year of first use
2023half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2023 or earlier
First registered in 2025
491against 6,943 in 2023
Declared off the road
630.3% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed BMW iX3s since 2021

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20213,044
End of 20229,371
End of 202316,203
End of 202419,035
End of 202519,224
End of June 202620,580

How old they are

Licensed BMW iX3s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2025482491
20243,2793,312
20236,7756,943
20225,9756,473
20212,7093,072

BMW iX3 recalls

5 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the BMW iX3. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every iX3 is affected.

  1. Jun 2026 R/2026/224

    Check the Head Airbag Threaded Connection; Rework if Necessary

    iX3s built Dec 2025 to May 2026 · 248 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    BMW has decided to initiate the safety recall "Curtain Airbag" with regard to the BMW model NA5. On affected vehicles both curtain airbags (left and right) may not have been properly screwed according to specification. If the curtain airbag is not installed properly it cannot be ruled out that noises (rattling) may occur while driving. Furthermore if the airbag deploys this may result in altered deployment characteristics and the inflator generator may become separated. This could increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the screw connection of the curtain airbags (left and right) will be checked and reworked if necessary.

  2. Jun 2026 R/2026/215

    Replacing the Convenience Charging Electronics

    iX3s built Nov 2025 to Feb 2026 · 13 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    BMW has decided to initiate the safety recall "Replace the Onboard Charger" with regards to the certain BMW NA5 models. On affected vehicles the onboard charger will be replaced. If there is a reduced insulation there is an extremely low risk of a dangerous voltage on the vehicle chassis. The fault is not detectable by the customer.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the onboard charger will be replaced.

  3. Aug 2023 R/2023/235

    On affected vehicles due to a supplier component production process error a damaged Combined Charging Unit may have been installed

    iX3s built Aug 2022 · 27 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the Combined Charging Unit.

  4. May 2023 R/2023/133

    A cable bridge connection connecting two circuit boards within the cell supervision circuit (CSC) might not have been installed properly

    iX3s built Nov 2021 to Mar 2023 · 28 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the cell supervision circuit (CSC) inside the high-voltage battery will be replaced.

  5. Oct 2021 R/2021/361

    In rare cases due to a software error the fast intermediate circuit discharge is triggered late

    iX3s built Jun 2020 to May 2021 · 384 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles software in the Battery Management Unit (BMU) will be updated by reprogramming.
How to check a specific iX3 for recalls

Other BMW models

The most-tested BMW models in 2025, against the iX3's 85.4% MOT pass rate.

All 28 BMW models

BMW iX3 FAQs

How many BMW iX3s are there in the UK?

20,580 BMW iX3s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 63 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the BMW iX3 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 an 85.4% first-time pass rate for the BMW iX3 across 9,598 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the BMW iX3 had any recalls?

5 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the BMW iX3. The most recent was published in June 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 iX3?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, visibility and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. 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 iX3'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 an iX3?

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

Across the 1,548 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). 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 October 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.