Does the BMW 1 Series fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The BMW 1 Series records 8.81 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 10.17 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.36, 95% interval −1.40 to −1.32). It ranks 420 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a BMW 1 Series by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 1 Series is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 52,148 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 52,148 | 2.32 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 19,723 | 0.88 |
| A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched | 13,317 | 0.59 |
| Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator | 11,136 | 0.49 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 10,797 | 0.48 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,252,061 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a BMW 1 Series gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
10.9% of BMW 1 Series MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 6,563 miles later (336,132 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 336,132 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
BMW 1 Series 2004 · BMW 1 Series 2005 · BMW 1 Series 2006 · BMW 1 Series 2007 · BMW 1 Series 2008 · BMW 1 Series 2009 · BMW 1 Series 2010 · BMW 1 Series 2011 · BMW 1 Series 2012 · BMW 1 Series 2013 · BMW 1 Series 2014 · BMW 1 Series 2015 · BMW 1 Series 2016 · BMW 1 Series 2017 · BMW 1 Series 2018 · BMW 1 Series 2019 · BMW 1 Series 2020 · BMW 1 Series in Finland · BMW 1 Series in the Netherlands · BMW 1 Series by postcode area · BMW 1 Series body, chassis and structure failures · BMW 1 Series vehicle identification failures · BMW 1 Series lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · BMW 1 Series noise, emissions and leaks failures · BMW 1 Series road wheels failures · BMW 1 Series seat belts and airbags failures · BMW 1 Series steering failures · BMW 1 Series suspension failures · BMW 1 Series tyres failures · BMW 1 Series visibility failures