Reliability Report · European Market

BMW 120 Reliability

The BMW 120 (current generation) scores 77/100 on our composite reliability index — good territory — drawn from DVSA data.

Composite Score
77
/ 100
Good
Sources: DVSA · latest 2023
European Market Snapshot
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Reliability by Source

Each independent organization measures reliability differently. TÜV reports inspection defect rates by age band. ADAC reports pan-European breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles. NHTSA aggregates US consumer complaints. DVSA MOT data is the UK fleet's annual safety inspection — every car 3+ years old. Lower variance across sources = higher confidence in the composite.

DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2003–2020 · 2023 report · n=42354
42,354 UK MOT tests · overall 23.8% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
77
/ 100

UK MOT Reliability Detail

Based on 42,354 MOT tests in the UK during the 2023reporting period. Score for each age band reflects this model's fail rate vs the UK-fleet baseline fail rate at the same age — a generation-aware metric.

Age 3–5 yrs
70
10.8% fail vs 10.9% fleet
2,672 tests
Age 6–9 yrs
79
15.0% fail vs 19.2% fleet
12,013 tests
Age 10–14 yrs
76
27.5% fail vs 32.1% fleet
15,028 tests
Age 15–20 yrs
78
30.6% fail vs 38.8% fleet
12,641 tests

Most Common MOT Failure Categories

#1
Condition
3,252
30.9%
#2
Shock absorbers
2,196
20.9%
#3
Tread depth
2,069
19.7%
#4
Windscreen
1,632
15.5%
#5
Registration plate lamp(s)
1,359
12.9%

Categories ranked across all MOT tests of this model in the UK during the 2023period. "Condition" covers cosmetic / wear issues; suspension and braking dominate the rest.

Compare Against Alternatives

See how the BMW 120 stacks up against direct rivals — same segment, similar price band, side-by-side risk + reliability.

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