BMW X1 MOT pass rate and common problems

The BMW X1 passed 82.4% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 10.1 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn.

Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.

How the X1 compares

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.

82.4%

BMW X1

79.3%

BMW average

72.3%

UK average, all cars

The X1 runs 3 points ahead of the BMW average. It is 20th of the 28 BMW models in the data. The average X1 arrived at its test 8.3 years old with 65,434 miles recorded.

A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.

X1 MOT pass rate by age

The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.

BMW X1 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.5% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 70.4%, a drop of 20.1 percentage points.

Age at testTestsPass ratevs UK average
3 to 5 years 26,344 90.5% 18.2 pts above
6 to 10 years 54,041 83.3% 11 pts above
11 years and over 26,314 70.4% 1.9 pts below

That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.

Where X1 failures cluster

Every failure item recorded on BMW X1 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.

  • Tyres25.7%
  • Suspension20.6%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.3%
  • Brakes12.8%
  • Visibility10.3%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks3.8%

Tyres and suspension together account for 46.3% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.

The 10 most common X1 MOT failures

Specific items recorded on BMW X1 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  1. 1Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively wornSuspension 10.2%
  2. 2Condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cordsTyres 8.2%
  3. 3Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mmTyres 7.1%
  4. 4Condition has ply or cords exposedTyres 5.2%
  5. 5Washers provides insufficient washer liquidVisibility 4.1%
  6. 6Coil spring fractured or brokenSuspension 4%
  7. 7Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thickBrakes 3.9%
  8. 8Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectivelyVisibility 3.4%
  9. 9Position lamp not workingLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2.8%
  10. 10Headlamp aim too lowLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2.8%

Together these 10 items make up 51.8% of everything testers recorded against failed BMW X1 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.

What to look at on a X1

The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.

1

Tyres

Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has ply or cords exposed. 20.6% of failure items.

2

Suspension

Recorded most often: pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and coil spring fractured or broken. 14.2% of failure items.

3

Visibility

Recorded most often: washers provides insufficient washer liquid and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 7.4% of failure items.

4

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim too low. 5.6% of failure items.

The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific X1 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used BMW X1 buying guide.

Already found one?

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

BMW X1 MOT FAQs

What is the BMW X1 MOT pass rate?

82.4% of BMW X1 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 112,492 tests. That is 10.1 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 167th of 575 models.

What does a BMW X1 most commonly fail its MOT on?

The item testers recorded most often on BMW X1 cars failing their 2025 MOT was pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn, on 10.2% of failure items. Next were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (8.2%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.1%).

Which area causes the most BMW X1 MOT failures?

Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 25.7%, followed by suspension at 20.6%.

Do older BMW X1 cars fail their MOT more often?

BMW X1 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.5% of MOT tests in 2025, against 70.4% for cars aged 11 years and over.

Does this mean every BMW X1 has these problems?

No. These are the items testers recorded across every BMW X1 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.

How do I see a specific BMW X1's MOT history?

Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.