Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
BMW
1,460 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where 320i Sport Autos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 9.3 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
86.8%
Pass-after-fix
2.7%
Fail
9.3%
Avg miles
31,823
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,460 tests
Pass rate drops 7.0 points across the cohorts — recent 320i Sport Auto examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.
Pass
90.6%
Fail
7.1%
PRS
1.8%
Avg mileage at test
34,625 mi
Pass
83.6%
Fail
11.1%
PRS
3.5%
Avg mileage at test
29,343 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,460 MOT tests, the 320i Sport Auto returns 86.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. A tyre with the cords showing and worn suspension bushes round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 31,823, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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A tyre seriously damaged
31 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
16 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
16 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Wiper blade defective
16 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
14 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
14 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud
14 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
12 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
9 occurrences · 0.6% 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 4 failures
£220–£475
If every one of this 320i Sport Auto'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 →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 7.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy BMW 320i Sport Auto has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
90.6%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 90.6% — a 7.0-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: fixing missing, ball joint excessively worn — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.
Band to be cautious about
83.6%
2021+ registration
On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 83.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 90.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, blade defective, and has a bulge, caused by separation or…. Average mileage on test for this band is 29,343 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (90.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (83.6% pass). That's a 7.0-point spread across 781 older tests and 679 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
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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 320i Sport Auto 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.