Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 92,203 tests

Pass rate climbs 11.3 points across the cohorts — newer 218 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 71,056

Pass

84.7%

Fail

11.3%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

61,445 mi

2018–2020 cohort 20,996

Pass

89.1%

Fail

8.4%

PRS

2.2%

Avg mileage at test

35,868 mi

2021+ cohort 151

Pass

96.0%

Fail

4.0%

PRS

0.0%

Avg mileage at test

22,563 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 2

BMW 218 · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

BMW 218: solid MOT record across 52,651 tests

The BMW 218 is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 52,651 tests puts this car on an 85.3% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 49,297 miles. The most common fail item is tyre tread below the legal limit, followed by damaged tyre sidewall or structure.

For used buyers, the 218's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 22–34

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

22–34

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,421 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
02

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

1,156 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
03

A tyre seriously damaged

1,038 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
04

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

1,007 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
05

A tyre seriously damaged

955 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
06

A tyre cords visible or damaged

688 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
07

Wiper blade defective

586 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
08

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

580 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
09

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

506 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
10

Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen

407 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures

£140–£255

If every one of this 218's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 11.3-point gap between bands means the year you buy BMW 218 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

96.0%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 96.0% — a 11.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 22,563 miles — roughly 39K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, less than 1.5 mm thick — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

84.7%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 84.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 96.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and has a cut in excess of the…. Average mileage on test for this band is 61,445 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (96.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (84.7% pass). That's a 11.3-point spread across 71,056 older tests and 151 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Summit

Summit ADRG-640 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£10.99

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Summit ADRG-904 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£10.99

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Summit ADRG-905 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£10.99

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Draper Expert

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

£18.69

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

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Buying or keeping a 218?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 218 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.