Does the BMW 3 Series fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The BMW 3 Series records 1.83 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.93 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−5.10, 95% interval −5.13 to −5.07). It ranks 551 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a BMW 3 Series by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 3 Series is “Exhaust system leaking or insecure”, recorded 15,953 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 15,953 | 0.51 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 5,790 | 0.19 |
| A door will not open using the relevant control or close properly | 5,032 | 0.16 |
| Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap | 4,944 | 0.16 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 4,068 | 0.13 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,110,401 (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 3 Series gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
6.9% of BMW 3 Series MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,396 miles later (50,439 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 50,439 (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
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