Know Your MOT
9.4%fail rate

BMW I8 common MOT failures and failure rate

What a BMW I8 fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 18,365 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 9.4% of MOT tests recorded on the BMW I8 in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is tyres, which makes up 44.1% of the BMW I8's failures, followed by tyres, other, visibility/wipers, registration plate. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Tyres44.1% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Other17.8% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Visibility/wipers12.2% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Registration plate11.3% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Lamps & electrical6.0% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Brakes5.3% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

201410.3% fail · 2,143 tests
20159.8% fail · 6,380 tests
20169.6% fail · 3,920 tests
20178.4% fail · 1,788 tests
20188.6% fail · 2,373 tests
20198.1% fail · 1,316 tests
20209.6% fail · 292 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the tyres failure: BMW I8 tyresSearch Amazon for BMW I8 tyresaffiliate searchFind BMW I8 tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: BMW I8 wiper bladesSearch Amazon for BMW I8 wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind BMW I8 wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: BMW I8 number plateSearch Amazon for BMW I8 number plateaffiliate searchFind BMW I8 number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the lamps & electrical failure: BMW I8 headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for BMW I8 headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind BMW I8 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: BMW I8 brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for BMW I8 brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind BMW I8 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate

Other models

BMW 3 Series MOT failures24.9% failure rateBMW 118 Series MOT failures18.5% failure rateBMW X5 MOT failures22.7% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain