Does the BMW X3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

The BMW X3 records 5.99 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 9.50 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.51, 95% interval −3.59 to −3.42). It ranks 520 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 X3 by registration

What exactly fails on brakes?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW X3 is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 9,670 times in 2019–2024.

BMW X3: most frequent brakes defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	9,670	1.88
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	3,176	0.62
Warning device shows system malfunction	2,944	0.57
Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator	1,791	0.35
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake	1,615	0.31

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 513,747 (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 X3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

8.2% of BMW X3 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,281 miles later (54,193 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 54,193 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

Does the BMW X3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

What exactly fails on brakes?

If a BMW X3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

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