BMW Z3 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

26.9% of 473 MOT tests of the BMW Z3 first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 80.2 (95% CI 66.3–94.2; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2003 BMW Z3 fails less often than other build years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

BMW Z3 built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	26.9	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	473
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 66.3–94.2)	80.2	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	473
Rank among this model's 6 build years	1	of 6	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	473
Tested in 2024	88	tests	median 63,822 miles	2024	88

Built 2003 against BMW Z3 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 24.5% vs n/a%; age 17: 22.8% vs 32%; age 18: 29.2% vs 34.1%; age 19: 28.9% vs 33.4%; age 20: 23.7% vs 33.8%; age 21: 28.4% vs 33.6%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 BMW Z3 by registration · All BMW Z3 MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2003 BMW Z3 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

BMW Z3 built 2003: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
16	102 (rough estimate)	24.5	17.2–33.7	not available	not available
17	79 (rough estimate)	22.8	14.9–33.2	32	71.2
18	130 (rough estimate)	29.2	22.1–37.6	34.1	85.7
19	83 (rough estimate)	28.9	20.3–39.4	33.4	86.6
20	93 (rough estimate)	23.7	16.2–33.2	33.8	70
21	88 (rough estimate)	28.4	20–38.6	33.6	84.5

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 575 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2003 BMW Z3?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is brakes: 14.6 items per 100 first tests, against 24.2 across all build years of the BMW Z3. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, BMW Z3 built 2003 against the BMW Z3 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Brakes	14.6	24.2	84
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	14.1	22.7	81
Visibility	9.4	10.6	54
Suspension	8.3	19.8	48

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 575 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 6 published build years of the BMW Z3, 2003 ranks 1 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 90.0.

BMW Z3 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	103.5	99.3–107.8	no different	6,082
1999	100.9	97.5–104.2	no different	9,850
2000	100.6	97.1–104.1	no different	9,017
2001	93.9	90.7–97.1	better	10,182
2002	90.0	86.3–93.8	better	7,132
2003	80.2	66.3–94.2	better (rough estimate)	473

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 42,736 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). BMW Z3 2003 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/bmw-z3/2003/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

BMW Z3 1998 · BMW Z3 1999 · BMW Z3 2000 · BMW Z3 2001 · BMW Z3 2002 · BMW Z3 in the Netherlands · BMW Z3 by postcode area · BMW Z3 body, chassis and structure failures · BMW Z3 brakes failures · BMW Z3 vehicle identification failures · BMW Z3 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · BMW Z3 noise, emissions and leaks failures · BMW Z3 road wheels failures · BMW Z3 seat belts and airbags failures · BMW Z3 steering failures · BMW Z3 suspension failures · BMW Z3 tyres failures · BMW Z3 visibility failures