Used comparison · 2025 DVSA data

BMW 3 Series vs Audi A4

The compact executive pair, both bought new by company drivers and both arriving used with big miles.

Across 584,928 initial MOT tests in 2025, the BMW 3 Series passed 77.74% against 77.09% for the Audi A4. That is close enough that the specific car matters far more than the badge.

Head to head on the MOT record

The UK average across all cars in this data is 77.3%. The BMW 3 Series sits level with it, and the Audi A4 sits level with it. The BMW 3 Series also arrives at test with roughly 4,769 more miles on average, which usually says more about who buys it and what they use it for than about how long it lasts.

Which one holds up better as it ages

This is the part that matters when you are buying used. A headline pass rate mixes three-year-old cars in with fifteen-year-old ones. Split by age, you can see what each model actually does over time.

The BMW 3 Series gives up less as it gets older. Between the youngest and oldest brackets it loses 13.7 percentage points against 16.2 for the Audi A4, a difference of 2.5 points. On a ten-year-old example that is the figure to weigh, not the headline number.

What each one fails on

These are the areas testers recorded most often across every failed 2025 test for each model. Read them as a viewing checklist for that model, not as a fault list for any particular car.

Both models fail most often on suspension, which is normal for cars of this age and tells you what to look at on either. The difference between them is in what comes next on each list.

The specific items testers wrote down

One level deeper than the category. These are the individual defects recorded most often on each model.

What this comparison cannot tell you

Everything above describes two models across the whole UK fleet. It says nothing about the one car in the advert you are looking at. Two 3 Seriess of the same year and mileage can be worth thousands apart because of things that never appear in MOT data:

• Outstanding finance. If a lender still has an agreement recorded against the car, that claim does not disappear because you paid the seller.
• Insurance write-off history. A Cat S or Cat N marker is permanent, changes what the car is worth, and does not appear on the V5C.
• Stolen markers. A car recorded as stolen can be seized even from a buyer who bought it honestly.
• Mileage history. The readings taken at every MOT are the clearest way to spot a clocked odometer.
• Previous keepers. An unusual number of keepers for the age of the car is worth asking about.

A Carpeep car history check reports all of those against the registration, plus tax status, import and export markers, scrapped status and the recorded vehicle identity, in one £15 report.

Read more on each car

• Buying a used BMW 3 Series Buying guide, MOT record and what to check
• Buying a used Audi A4 Buying guide, MOT record and what to check

Other comparisons with these cars

• Audi A4 vs Volkswagen Passat

BMW 3 Series vs Audi A4 FAQs

Is the BMW 3 Series or the Audi A4 more likely to pass its MOT?

The BMW 3 Series passed 77.74% of its initial MOT tests in the DVSA 2025 data against 77.09% for the Audi A4, a gap of 0.6 percentage points. That is a fleet-wide average, not a prediction about the specific car you are looking at.

Does a higher MOT pass rate mean a more reliable car?

No. An MOT records whether a vehicle met the roadworthiness standard on the day it was tested. It does not test the engine, clutch or gearbox, and it does not measure how often a car breaks down. Pass rates are useful for comparing how two models are holding up across the whole UK fleet, and nothing more than that.

Which is cheaper to keep on the road, the BMW 3 Series or the Audi A4?

This data does not price servicing or repairs, so it cannot answer that directly. What it does show is what each model most often fails on, which is a fair guide to where the money goes. The BMW 3 Series fails most often on suspension. The Audi A4 fails most often on suspension.

How do I check the actual BMW 3 Series I have found?

Enter its registration. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, insurance write-off markers, stolen markers, the mileage recorded at every MOT, previous keepers, tax and MOT status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report. None of that appears in model-level MOT statistics.

Which one has covered more miles by MOT time?

The average BMW 3 Series arrived at its 2025 MOT on 111,785 miles, against 107,016 for the Audi A4. That usually reflects who buys each car and what they use it for rather than how long it will last.

MOT figures aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.