Does the BMW i3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

The BMW i3 records 0.99 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.32 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.33, 95% interval −3.46 to −3.19). It ranks 512 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 i3 by registration

What exactly fails on brakes?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW i3 is “Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn”, recorded 134 times in 2019–2024.

BMW i3: most frequent brakes defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn	134	0.15
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	126	0.14
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.	123	0.14
Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement	99	0.11
Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator	68	0.08

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 87,422 (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 i3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

3.7% of BMW i3 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,905 miles later (4,023 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,023 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

Does the BMW i3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

What exactly fails on brakes?

If a BMW i3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

Other pages for this model