70.3%
BMW Z3
BMW Z3 MOT pass rate and common problems
The BMW Z3 passed 70.3% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 2 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was position lamp not working.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Z3 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
79.3%
BMW average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Z3 runs 9 points behind the BMW average. It is 28th of the 28 BMW models in the data. The average Z3 arrived at its test 25.6 years old with 84,651 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.
Z3 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 1 | 0% | 72.3 pts below |
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 2 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 11,192 | 70.3% | 2 pts below |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Z3 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on BMW Z3 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 42.9% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Z3 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on BMW Z3 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 32.5% of everything testers recorded against failed BMW Z3 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Z3
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: ball joint excessively worn, coil spring fractured or broken and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn. 8.6% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: rigid brake pipes excessively corroded and anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an abs fault. 6.4% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 5.8% of failure items.
4
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working. 5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Z3 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used BMW Z3 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
BMW Z3 MOT FAQs
What is the BMW Z3 MOT pass rate?
70.3% of BMW Z3 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 11,195 tests. That is 2 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 346th of 575 models.
What does a BMW Z3 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on BMW Z3 cars failing their 2025 MOT was position lamp not working, on 5% of failure items. Next were rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (4%) and srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault (3.7%).
Which area causes the most BMW Z3 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 22.3%, followed by brakes at 20.6%.
Does this mean every BMW Z3 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every BMW Z3 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 Z3'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.