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Bmw 118 vs Bmw E3 3.0s: reliability comparison

MOT pass rates, common faults and mileage compared from real UK MOT data.

Bmw 118
81%
MOT pass rate · 195,122 vehicles
Bmw E3 3.0s
50%
MOT pass rate · 1 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate the Bmw 118 (81%) and Bmw E3 3.0s (50%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Head to head

Measure Bmw 118 Bmw E3 3.0s
MOT pass rate 81% 50%
MOT failure rate 19% 50%
Faults & advisories per test 1.5 7.0
Dangerous-fault share 4% 0%
Average mileage 85,676 mi 18,737 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 195,122 1

Most common faults

Bmw 118

  1. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  2. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  3. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  4. Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  5. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  6. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Bmw E3 3.0s

  1. All direction indicators adversely affected by the operation of another lamp hazard lights dont switch off (4.4.3 (b))
  2. All direction indicators not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii))
  3. Battery insecure and likely to fall from carrier (4.13 (a) (ii))
  4. Front Prop shaft flexible coupling excessively deteriorated (6.1.7 (d) (i))
  5. Horn not working (7.7 (a))
  6. Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate the Bmw 118 (81%) and Bmw E3 3.0s (50%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Full Bmw 118 report Full Bmw E3 3.0s report Most reliable cars

Pass rates are computed over completed (pass/fail) MOT tests. Reliability also depends on age, mileage and upkeep — see each model's page for the full picture.