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

The BMW i3 records 7.56 tyres failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.95 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+0.61, 95% interval +0.43 to +0.79). It ranks 249 of 751 models on tyres (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on tyres · check a BMW i3 by registration

What exactly fails on tyres?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW i3 is “A tyre seriously damaged”, recorded 2,839 times in 2019–2024.

BMW i3: most frequent tyres defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
A tyre seriously damaged	2,839	3.25
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	2,345	2.68
A tyre cords visible or damaged	843	0.96
Tyres on the same axle or on twin wheels are different sizes	169	0.19
A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative	108	0.12

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 tyres advisory, how often does it fail next time?

7.3% of BMW i3 MOTs with a tyres advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,203 miles later (14,183 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 14,183 (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 tyres more than it should?

What exactly fails on tyres?

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

Related pages

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